A New Ballgame
by Alydia Rackham
Summary: Sequel to Don't Leave. Bridges the gap between the movies "Iron Man" and "Hulk." Follows Tony Stark as he begins helping to lay the foundations for the Avengers, with help from Pepper, Wolverine, and many others
1. Chapter 1

_Here it is, folks! The sequel you've all been waiting for! ;) ;) I hope you all enjoy it, and leave lots of comments. :)_

_VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV_

A NEW BALLGAME

Prologue

Pepper was feeling better. He could tell. She had calmed down considerably while he drove her home, and had finally started smiling at his jokes again. She would be all right. He was sure she would be able to get some rest.

Now if only _he _could get some rest.

Tony Stark rolled over in his bed for the hundredth time that night, twisting the sheets all around his legs. Angrily, he flung them off him, then dropped back down onto his pillow with a thump. The light from the chest piece that was keeping his heart safe glowed in the darkness, creating a strange, circular pattern on the ceiling. He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. Why hadn't he thought of making a cover for it so that his own heart wouldn't keep him awake?

"Can I do anything for you, sir?"

Tony jerked into a sitting position.

"Jarvis!" he scolded, his heartbeat racing. "You know it scares me to death when you do that."

"My apologies, sir," Jarvis replied serenely. "It just appeared that you were restless and might be in need of some attention."

"No, I'm fine," Tony growled, flopping back onto his bed.

"If you say so, sir," Jarvis replied dryly, and fell silent. Tony glared at the ceiling, at the reflection of his chest piece. He was not fine. A man had appeared in his apartment that evening--had just _appeared_. He had called himself Nick Fury, and had asked if he had any interest in helping to form a band of fighters that had extraordinary abilities; people that would fight injustice. What the _heck?_ That was a little too much to digest all at once. So Tony had replied that he would sleep on it.

But that wasn't working. Because as much as he had fought to keep a calm exterior around Pepper, the attempt on his life had rattled him. She was right. Without time to maneuver his way out of a sticky situation, and without his incredible armor--he could be killed just as suddenly as anyone else.

And now everyone on the planet knew that he was the one in the suit. Including that scary man who had somehow gotten into his living room.

"Geez, SHIELD was right..." he whispered, rubbing his eyes. "It should have been a bodyguard..."

"Pardon me, sir?"

"I was _talking _to myself," Tony answered irritably. "Please be quiet, Jarvis."

"As you wish, sir."

VVVVVVVVVVV

Tony rolled over and stared blearily at the digital clock on his nightstand. It was six in the morning. He hadn't slept at all.

Groaning, he rose to a sitting position and swung his legs off the bed, hanging his head.

"Sir?"

"Jarvis," Tony warned, glaring at the wall.

"Forgive me, sir."

Tony muttered evil things about robots in general and arose, running a hand through his hair. With nothing else to do, he threw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and slippers, then tripped downstairs, his slippers slapping against his hard steps.

He glanced briefly toward the kitchen as he decided he wasn't hungry yet. Jarvis had kept the windows tinted, so the whole house was still dark, cool and quiet.

"Makes things a little extra creepy," he commented. Impulsively, he glanced around, waiting for Jarvis to reply, but the computer had learned his lesson. Smirking a little, Tony passed the waterfall in his living room, turned and headed down to his workshop.

He sighed as he stared down at the broken glass mess he still had not cleaned up after he bashed the door out. Carefully, he picked his way through the rubble and headed toward a work station. He suddenly stopped. Why was there no illumination?

"Jarvis, could I have some lights, please?" he called out. "It's like the Bat Cave down here."

Jarvis did not reply with the sardonic answer Tony was expecting, but the lights came on.

Tony froze.

Standing in the middle of his workshop, arms crossed over a broad chest, was a man. He wore a rough beard that lined his jaw, and his hair was dark, wild and beast-like. His features were chiseled and rugged, and he was clad all in leather. His black gaze flashed across the distance between them--a fierce and animal-like scowl.

Tony reacted. Reaching for a new piece of plate armor on the table--sharp and hard as granite--he grasped it in his hand and threw it as hard as he could at the intruder.

The man moved. But not to evade. He spread his stance and flung out his arms, his hands clenching to fists--

And three metal blades lanced out from each fist--each blade a foot long. With a bear-like swipe, the man lunged forward and slashed at the piece of armor--and cut through it as if it were butter.

He then dodged, and the pieces of armor clattered to the floor all around him. Silence fell.

A shudder ran all through Tony's body, and his jaw tightened.

"Relax," the man spoke in a deep voice, stretching his neck and relaxing his stance. "If I'd wanted to kill you, you'd have been dead hours ago."

For once, Tony could think of nothing glib to say. He just stared at those wicked claws, until they retracted back into the man's hands with a snap. Tony lifted his eyes and met the fearsome gaze.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"My friends call me Logan." The man shrugged noncommittally. "But my fighting name is Wolverine."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for all the great reviews! I hope you like this next part! Tell me what you think!_

_VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV_

CHAPTER ONE

He wasn't answering his phone. True, it was only six in the morning, but Tony _always _answered his phone. At least when she called. And she had called five times now.

Pepper had not slept all night. She had tossed and thrashed, paced around her room, tried to read _Emma_, tried to watch TV--nothing had worked to make her comfortable. But about the last thing she wanted to do was take something to make her sleep. Not when there were nameless bad guys running around with guns shooting through people's windows.

So, at about ten till six, when the world outside was growing lighter, she had finally groaned out loud, reached over to her bedside table, found his number on her cell and dialed Tony. No one had answered. She had hung up, reminding herself of the fact that _some _people might be _asleep _at this ungodly hour. So she had waited and tried again five minutes later. Then again. The fourth time, she got worried.

And now she had just hung up on her fifth attempt while driving to his house. She couldn't shake it--the last time he hadn't answered his phone, Obadiah had attacked him and pulled out his chest piece, leaving him for dead on the couch. She pushed down farther on her gas pedal and sped up.

As soon as she arrived at his breathtaking, mountain-top mansion, she parked in her own parking garage that was separate from his, and hurriedly entered the front door. The lights were not on in the living room, and the only sound was the soft bubbling of his waterfall.

"Tony?" she called as she pushed open the door, her voice echoing against the stillness.

"He is downstairs, Miss Potts," Jarvis replied immediately.

"Thank you." She came in, shut the door behind her, and hurried toward the steps, her high-heels clicking.

"He is...in a meeting."

Pepper's foot landed hard on the first step and she froze. Something in Jarvis' voice, belonging to a computer though it did, made a chill run down her spine.

"What do you mean?" she turned back around to face the living room. "At six in the morning?"

Jarvis did not reply for a long time. Pepper was just turning to continue down the stairs when he spoke again, startling her.

"He may not want to be disturbed."

Pepper's jaw tightened.

"Then I am _definitely _going down," she muttered starting to descend. Her heartbeat sped up as her mind raced through the possibilities. Who on earth could be having a meeting with him at this hour--and who would make Jarvis, a _computer_, worried? Another attacker? Someone connected with the sniping? One of his middle-eastern enemies?

Pepper's throat caught, and her step hitched.

What if it was a girl?

She bit the side of her cheek. Why would that matter? After all, he had brought dozens of girls here in the past. Pepper winced as her cheek started hurting. But he hadn't done that since he had been rescued. She had seen a different man, since. Or rather, she had seen the man she always knew he had the potential of becoming. A good, purpose-filled man with a sweet sense of humor and a genuine caring for other people.

That's why it mattered now.

Pepper's hands closed as she reached the bottom of the stairs, bitter disappointment tightening her throat. He had a girl with him. Why else would Jarvis be so careful about telling her, about warning her away? Her vision blurred. She was_ through_ meekly ushering these women out. That was not her job. Nothing in her contract implied--

"Oh, my--" she gasped, stopping mid-step.

A man stood in the center of Tony's workshop--a broad-shouldered, fearsome, leather-clad man with unruly hair, a ragged beard and a knife-like gaze. But Pepper's eyes were fixed on something else.

The man had three blades sticking out of each fist. Each shining blade had to be about a foot long. She twitched as the blades suddenly snapped back up into his knuckles.

Only then did she realize that Tony was also standing in the room, his back to her. He was facing the intruder.

"Who are you?" Tony wanted to know, sounding tense.

"My friends call me Logan," was the rumbling answer. "But my fighting name is Wolverine."

Pepper could not find it in her to laugh or even crack a smile. In that moment, calling the man "Wolverine" seemed only too appropriate. Especially when that piercing gaze flicked over and found her. She felt herself go pale and stop breathing.

"Who's that?" he demanded.

Tony whirled around. He was unshaven and his hair was mussed--he had obviously just gotten up. But his dark eyes flashed alertly when he saw her, and he almost moved toward her, then stopped himself. He glanced warily back at "Wolverine."

"She's my assistant," Tony said tightly. "She keeps track of my social security number and my bank accounts and my coffee--you know, just the important stuff."

Pepper felt an attempt at levity in the undercurrent of Tony's voice, but Wolverine's eyes only narrowed at her, and she felt at any moment that his gaze was going to slice her right in half. "Well, she can't come along."

Tony blinked and faced him directly again.

"Wait a second, along where?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Stark," Wolverine reached inside his coat, stuck a half-burned cigar in his mouth and lit it, talking around it. "I'm at least the third person who has broken into your house undetected during the past week." His eyes flashed up to Tony's for a moment before he clicked his lighter shut and stuffed it in his pocket. "The first guy almost killed you. The second guy came to make you an offer." He took his cigar out of his mouth and lifted his chin. "The third guy's come to tell you that if you don't come with him right now you'll die."

Pepper watched Tony's shoulders tense beneath his t-shirt, and she felt her own hands clench.

"Is that a threat?" Tony's voice sounded almost as frightening as the stranger's, now. Wolverine shook his head once.

"Nope. It's a heads-up. We've gotten a hold of some information--"

"We?" Tony interrupted. Fire blazed for just a moment behind Wolverine's countenance, but he answered.

"The Avenger Initiative," he replied. "We've gotten some intel that says that sometime...well, _soon_, another attempt is going to be made on your life."

Pepper's gut tightened but she couldn't move. Tony shrugged minutely.

"I just won't go outside, then," Tony replied.

"I don't think you're listening, Stark," Wolverine stuck his cigar between his lips again. "If Obadiah Stane, Nick Fury and me can get in here--all _kinds _of other creeps can, too."

Tony didn't speak for a moment.

"So what's your offer?" he questioned. "A discount at the mortuary and a customized tombstone?"

Wolverine chuckled, his voice like a bear's.

"Not quite, though it may end up that way," he answered. "I came here to pick up you and your flashy suit and take you to the Avenger's temporary base. You'll be safe there, at least for a while."

Pepper could almost hear Tony's calculating thoughts as they raced through his head. He took a small breath.

"And why should I trust you?"

Wolverine gave a shrug of his own.

"Like I said, if I'd wanted you dead, you wouldn't be talking to me right now. But I don't care if you stay here." He checked his watch. "It's no skin off my nose."

Both men were very still for a long moment, the only movement being the slow upward spiral of the smoke from Wolverine's cigar. Tony glanced back at Pepper, a strand of hair hanging in his eyes.

"Pepper's coming with me," he said quietly, still looking at her. She straightened.

"Wha--" she stammered, but she was interrupted.

"I already told you she can't come," Wolverine snapped. Tony turned back around and raised his voice.

"You don't understand," he retorted severely. "If I'm not safe here then Pepper isn't either. She knows everything about me and everybody knows that."

Pepper's mouth fell open.

"No," Wolverine said shortly, throwing down his cigar. "I don't want to be hauling some sissy girl in high-heels along. Not on the roads we'll be taking."

Pepper was enraged.

"I'm not a--"

"If I'm coming, then there isn't any discussion!" Tony countered Wolverine. He looked at Pepper again. "You're coming. I'll pay you overtime."

"But--"

"Stark, you really don't want to push this--"

"Well, I'm pushing it! This is non-negotiable."

"I thought _I _was the one who--"

"Stop!" Pepper shouted, finally finding her voice. She held up both hands and stepped fully into the workshop. "I am here, you know--in this room with you." She laughed in exasperation. "So now everyone can quit talking about me as if I'm not here."

Wolverine glared at her. She mustered the courage to glare back. Then she addressed Tony and spoke with forced pleasantness.

"Aren't you going to _ask_ me whether or not I _want _to go to the Avenger's base or whatever that is with a strange man who has blades that shoot out of his hands?"

Tony looked startled.

"Well, it just...makes sense," he tried. "I mean, everyone knows you're my assistant and you know every pass-code and everything about Iron Man, so--"

"Even if it does make perfect sense," Pepper answered back. "A girl still likes to be asked."

Half a smile twitched across his lips as he looked at her a moment.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Would you like to come along on a trip to who-knows-where with a mad scientist and Hairy Claw Man, or stay behind and hope the mysterious bad guys don't strangle you in the night?"

Pepper glared at _him_ now, but had to fight a smile.

"I...guess I'll have to stick with the mad scientist and Hairy Claw Man," she decided quietly, cocking her eyebrow. "Seeing as you can't match a tie with a suit without me."

He smiled truly now, then turned back to Wolverine.

"There you go. I'm not coming if she isn't."

Pepper looked at Tony, her eyes lingering on his face a moment until Wolverine sighed.

"Fine. You might reconsider though, Miss," he cocked his own eyebrow in a wicked arch. "The real reason I didn't want you along is we'll be traveling for at least five days in a three-person pickup, and the middle seat doesn't have much leg room. You'll have to sit there."

Pepper opened her mouth again, but Wolverine was looking at his watch.

"And...we're going to have to hustle. As of right now, we've got...three hours, give or take."

"Until what?" Tony wanted to know. Wolverine glanced around the room, eyeing the doors.

"I'm not planning on being around to find out."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER TWO

_No Going Back_

"Pepper, where is that set of discs I can never find?"

"Which discs that you can never find?"

"The program 7835JAR."

"The Jarvis program?"

"Yeah, that one."

"I find that disconcerting, sir."

Tony glanced up when the disembodied English tone entered the conversation.

"You're a computer, Jarvis," he reminded him. "You can't be disconcerted."

"Well, since you have programmed me to understand the meaning of the word, and since you seem to have lost the program that enables you to upload me elsewhere, the situation matches the definition of the word. I am therefore disconcerted."

Tony chuckled, and he saw Pepper smile out of the corner of his eye. Wolverine, however, was not amused. The animal-like man paced silently back and forth on the hard floor of the workshop, arms crossed over his broad chest, while Tony and Pepper hurriedly but thoroughly tried to pack the essentials of the Iron Man technology. Hence, all of Tony's work tables were in complete disarray.

"It's over here Mr. Stark," Pepper held the set up.

"Good--pack that in, too," he gestured to the large padded cases lying open on the floor. Tony's brow furrowed. "Why do you still call me Mr. Stark?" he wondered, closing down one of his laptops, unplugging it and wrapping up the wire.

"Because you pay me," Pepper replied, bending down to disconnect several cords.

"You can call me Tony, you know," he allowed. "As long as we're...running for our lives and everything."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Stark."

"Faster," Wolverine cut in, shooting a glare at both of them. "Shut up and get this stuff packed."

Tony would have retorted, regaling this brute about the complicated nature of this technology and how much equipment they needed--but he had caught a hint of worry behind that steely gaze, and it silenced him. Whatever had the Wolverine concerned _definitely _had him concerned as well.

"How much room do you have in your trailer?" Tony asked the pacing man. Wolverine didn't look at him.

"Not very much. And the only things I've got in there right now are a cooler of food and three sleeping bags."

"Well, can you give me an estimate?" Tony pressed.

"What, like square feet?"

"Yes."

Wolverine's brow furrowed.

"I'd say ten by six by four, if I had to guess."

"You don't know?"

Wolverine's eyes narrowed.

"I don't memorize these things."

"Gentlemen," Pepper cut in. "Let's get back to work."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Woah." Tony stopped short when he rounded the bend, almost dropping his bags, as he stared at the vehicle in front of him. "What's that?"

"It's a Ford pickup truck," Wolverine answered back, looking at him strangely. "Ever heard of it?"

"It looks like--"

"Yeah, I know," Wolverine cut him off as he walked past him, hauling four cases of computer equipment. "Like something Tony Stark wouldn't be caught dead in."

He was right. The truck was beat up, and its color was undiscernable--perhaps some sort of brown. A dingy pickup camper perched on the bed of the truck, and its windows were so dirty Tony couldn't see through them. Behind the truck was hitched a short, two-wheeled covered metal trailer that had too many dents in it to count. The truck was parked a good way down the road from the house, in a valley, so all of their luggage had had to be dragged.

Tony heard the wheels of the luggage Pepper was dragging scraping against the cement behind him, accompanied by the tapping of her high heels.

"Goodness," she commented. "It looks...cozy."

"It's called a low profile," Wolverine growled as he set down the cases. He opened the driver's side door and warily peered inside at the floor. He then reached under the dash and pulled something and the hood popped open. Swinging around, he tossed the screeching hood fully open and surveyed the engine.

"I hope your equipment doesn't weigh a whole lot," he muttered.

"It weighs a whole lot," Tony countered. Wolverine huffed and slammed the hood, but not before Tony caught sight of a few of the tubes inside--held together with what looked like duct tape.

"Great," he said under his breath. But Wolverine seemed to be preoccupied with other matters. He kept glancing furtively at their surroundings, and if even a bird fluttered, he would stop to listen. It was making Tony nervous.

"Listen, can you open the trailer so we can--"

"Shh," Wolverine held up a hand, gazing back up toward the house. His voice deepened and quieted. "Get in the truck.

"But we have to get these--" Tony began holding up one of the cases.

"Shut up and do what I say," Wolverine said in the same tone, still staring at the house. "I'll take care of the cases."

"Tony..." Pepper said hesitantly from behind him. He paused just a moment, watching Wolverine use a key to unlock the trailer and open the lid. Tony turned to Pepper.

"Get in the car and stay low," he instructed. "Here, put the cases down--I'll do it."

"But he said--" she started.

"I know what he said," Tony cut in. "I don't care."

Pepper bit her lip, her brow creasing, but she nodded, set the cases down and hurried to open the squeaking door of the truck.

"Stay low," Tony reminded her as she got in and shut the door. She nodded, and Tony picked up three cases and headed toward the trailer. Wolverine saw him.

"What are you doing?" he seethed. "I told you to get in the truck."

"Listen," Tony said through his teeth, shoving the case into the trailer and staring Wolverine down. "I survived the brutality and savagery of terrorist captors for _three months, _living in a cave and slaving over a forge. I also _got out _of that cave, _killed _all of them, and came back here to build this suit," he pointed into the trailer. "And fight more of these bad guys _all by myself_. You do _not _need to patronize me. You may be Wolverine, but _I'm _Iron Man, with or without the suit, and I am _not _sitting in that truck like a coward."

Wolverine's jaw clenched.

"Then _hurry up_."

Tony glared at him, but quickly turned and headed back to get the other cases. The two men swiftly loaded all of the cases, which nearly filled up the whole trailer, and Wolverine slammed it shut. Then they ran back up to the truck, Tony to the passenger side, and both leaped inside.

"What's the matter?" Pepper asked the instant that they slammed the doors behind them.

"We're getting out of here."

The words were no sooner out of Wolverine's mouth than the sky seemed to split. A deafening, bashing screech tore the air, followed by a ground-rocking, bone-quaking _BOOM_.

Tony whirled around in his seat to stare up in horror at his house.

His house, which was now consumed in a blazing, furious ball of blood-red flame and billowing smoke.

"Oh--" Tony breathed, the light dazzling his eyes.

Wolverine swore, started the car and threw it into gear. Tony and Pepper were flung back against their seats as the pickup's wheels squealed. They shot forward, the trailer lagging a moment before slamming into the back of them. Tony reflexively put an arm around Pepper's shoulders as debris began thudding all around them, occasionally striking the cab roof, hood and camper. Tony and Pepper flinched away as something took out the passenger side rear view mirror, scattering glass against the window. Wolverine sped up. The rough engine roared as they rushed down the hill. The roar of the fire towered behind them.

Finally, though, even that dreadful sound died away, leaving behind only the noisy engine, the clunk of the camper, and the hum of the tires on the road. Tony watched Wolverine's scarred hands slowly relax on the steering wheel. The brawny man leaned back, his shoulder brushing Pepper's. Tony took his arm from around her and shakily reached for his seat belt.

"Well," he swallowed and cleared his throat, clicking his belt. "I'm glad I brought a copy of Jarvis."

The other two glanced at him, but he stared straight ahead at the winding road. It was a very long time before anyone spoke again.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for all the great reviews!! I had some fun with this particular chapter. _:)_ Please let me know what you think!_

VVVVVVVVVVVVVV

CHAPTER THREE

_Dead in the Desert_

"Is there an air conditioner?" Pepper wondered politely. Wolverine grunted, reached over and flipped a switch on the dashboard.

"While it lasts," he said through another cigar. Not-so-cool air began blowing in Pepper's face, but she wasn't about to complain. Maybe it would keep her from dying of cigar fumes. She glanced over at Wolverine again. She had no idea how he could stand to keep wearing that leather jacket. She was roasting.

She had been stuck here for what felt like hours, between these two brutally silent men. The clock and the radio in this car were broken, and at all times, Wolverine's right shoulder and Tony's left were pressed against hers. The guys weren't small, but the cab was--and felt even more so in this heat.

She stared out the windshield, squinting against the brightness. They hadn't seen another car for several miles. She felt Tony sit up straighter.

"I've driven on a lot of roads," he mused. "But I don't believe I've ever driven on this

one."

"Not many people have," Wolverine answered, taking out his cigar and holding it in his left hand. "That's what I was counting on."

Pepper's brow furrowed.

"We're heading almost directly east, aren't we?"

He nodded.

"Wait a sec," Tony shifted again, turning toward Wolverine. "That's taking us on the road through Death Valley."

"Mhum," Wolverine confirmed.

"Are you...sure this car can get us through there?" Pepper asked.

"It's a truck," Wolverine corrected. But he didn't answer her question.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

The midafternoon sun was blinding. The hills in the distance looked craggy and dead, like dragon bones, or the surface of some alien planet. Wolverine had finally surrendered his leather jacket and stuffed it behind the seat. Now he just wore a plain white t-shirt and jeans. Pepper was glad for her short skirt and sleeveless top, but they didn't help much. She glanced over at Tony.

"The road's in good shape," she observed, trying to be optimistic.

"Yep," Tony said tightly. His brow tightened as a new noise joined the chorus of other noises coming from the engine compartment.

And as it turned out, the shape of the road did not matter.

Pepper knew they were in trouble when the air conditioner finally gave up the ghost. They all instantly broke into a sweat. The next moment, a terrible rattling sounded from under the hood, and steam poured out, obscuring their vision.

Wolverine swore as he put his foot to the whining brakes, pulling off to the side of the road.

"Your engine's overheated," Tony commented.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Wolverine snarled, shutting the truck off, flinging the door open and getting out. He swung around to the rear, and the two still in the car heard clanking, then Wolverine started toward the front of the truck, toolbox in hand.

"Go help him," Pepper advised, unbuckling and stretching her arms. Tony raised his eyebrows.

"Excuse me? Get between _that _man and his engine? He has long sharp thingsthat come out of his--"

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Tony, you could put an entire engine together in your sleep."

"I'm not putting his together."

"You'd rather sit here in Death--may I repeat, _Death--_Valley and cook like a pig on a spit?" she countered coyly.

"You called me Tony."

"Get out."

Smirking, Tony shoved open the door and hopped out, his booted feet hitting the gravel shoulder of the road. Pepper crossed her fingers as he slammed the door.

"Please don't let them kill each other," she sighed.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

For a good fifteen minutes, however, Pepper was certain they would. She had never heard so much shouting and clattering and cursing. She could not see much around the hood, but once, Wolverine flat-out threw a wrench onto the road, where it jangled against the hard surface, and then he stomped out into view, shaking out his right hand, grimacing like he'd burned himself and swearing like a sailor.

No sooner had the two returned to work than whatever-it-was holding the hood up had given out, sending the heavy piece of metal crashing down on their heads. It hit their skulls with an awful bang. Pepper had cried out and almost leaped up onto the seat, but she soon saw both men's hands grasping the edge of it and slowly lifting it up.

After this, they suddenly sobered, and though Pepper heard an occasional tense word and the clank of tools, there were no more eruptions.

About an hour and a half later, a weary Tony slammed the hood shut and wiped his oily hands on his pant legs while Wolverine collected the tools. Tony, swiping his forehead with his forearm, came around, opened the passenger door and climbed in, wincing.

"Ow," Pepper winced sympathetically, looking down at his left hand. "What did you do?"

"I burned it." His fingers were shaking reflexively, and Pepper reached out and carefully cradled his hand, sucking in a breath through her teeth.

"Right along here, huh?" she murmured, studying the knuckles of his forefinger where an angry red welt was rising.

"Yeah," he grunted, tensing. "It...hurts."

"I saw Wolverine burned himself, too," Pepper remembered.

"Yeah, but he--"

The door barked open and Wolverine got in. With dirty but completely unscathed hands he reached down and started the car. Pepper stared.

"You...Your hand..."

He glanced at her.

"That's one thing you'll get to know about me, honey," he answered, giving her an almost real smile. "I'm hard to hurt."

Pepper then realized that the engine was running more smoothly than it had all day, and when Wolverine put his foot on the pedal and pulled out onto the road, her heart leaped with elation.

And then she had a grim reality check: the men on either side of her were now drenched in sweat.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Amazingly, they made it through Death Valley. And the air conditioner was working properly for the first time, which was an immense relief. They entered Nevada, and wove through those arid mountains. Pepper actually enjoyed the scenery, and though Wolverine was largely silent, Tony commented about a trip he had taken with his dad to this area when he was a kid. Wolverine pointed out a first aid kit in the glove compartment, and so as Tony talked, Pepper applied antiseptic and a bandage to Tony's burn.

As twilight fell, they entered Utah, where the mountains were quite different. These peaks scraped the sky, and the pines were much thicker, hugging the road. Pepper felt more moisture in the air, and as they climbed, she had to reach over and shut off the air conditioner, because she was getting chilly.

At about eight in the evening, Wolverine pulled into a small mountain town and parked in front of a YMCA. Tony and Pepper glanced at him.

"What's this?" Pepper wondered.

"I thought you might like a shower," Wolverine answered simply before getting out. Pepper blinked, then smiled slightly. She had never expected him to think of that.

"Oh, wonderful," Tony groaned as he opened the door and let in the crisp, cool air. "A public shower..."

"Well, believe me, if you don't take a shower here, I'm running you through the car wash," Pepper assured him. "Wolverine, too."

"What?" Tony was trying to sound offended. "Are you saying I smell bad?"

Pepper just laughed.

VVVVVVVVVVVVV

"What's her name?"

"What do you mean, what's her name?" Wolverine looked at Pepper oddly.

"The woman who made these sandwiches," Pepper held one up, half eaten. "I know _you _didn't."

Wolverine gave a distant smile and took a breath.

"Her name is Marie."

Pepper grinned in triumph and glanced over at Tony. He just glowered at the broken rear view mirror as he chewed. Though she was relieved that she could halfway tease Wolverine--his considerate offer to allow them all to shower had showed that he wasn't a complete savage, and had given her confidence enough to try to speak to him once in a while--when she did, Tony had fallen into grim silence.

Her heart sank. She couldn't blame him. After all, today he had watched his house go up in flames--all his collections, all his cars, most of his highly-advanced assistant robots and a portion of his research had been destroyed. Not to mention he had burned his hand and had a hood come crashing down on his head.

Pepper sighed, unable to think of anything appropriate to talk about. All three of them were clean, now, and wearing a change of clothes. She hadn't had time to go back to her house, but she'd grabbed a few outfits out of her personal closet at Tony's place. Having spilled coffee on herself more times than she wished to remember, she had taken to keeping extra clothes there. True, they weren't exactly traveling clothes--a skirt and a blouse and flat sandals right now--but they were better than wearing the same dirty clothes for five days.

The sky darkened, and the silence between them deepened. She was just dozing off when she felt a change in speed, jerked and glanced up. Tony noticed it too.

"What's this?" he asked sleepily.

"A campsite," Wolverine replied, steering through the darkness, one headlight flickering, down a bumpy road that led to a small, very shadowy glen in the trees.

"Is this a real campsite or just a convenient place to park?" Tony wondered running a hand through his hair.

"It's real," Wolverine assured him. "Look. There's a fire pit and a picnic table and a latrine."

"A campsite?" Pepper repeated. "Wait, we're...not staying in a hotel?"

"I'll let you figure that one out," Wolverine answered, stopping the truck and turning it off. "Stay here for a sec."

Pepper clenched her jaw. For his moment of chivalrousness, he was still not a gentleman. He kicked the door open and hopped out, disappearing into the blackness. Pepper was suddenly seized with apprehension and her brow furrowed. She leaned forward, trying to see where he had gone.

"What?" Tony wondered. She glanced at him.

"Nothing. I'm just--"

"Nervous without _him_?" Tony pointed at the driver's door. "Hairy Claw Man?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Pepper answered definitely. "We _are _in the middle of the woods in the mountains, and I don't like people...wandering off."

"Mhum," Tony grunted. She frowned at him.

"What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"It means that I think you're getting a little too close to a guy who has claws."

"I kind of have to sit right by him," Pepper retorted. Tony rolled his eyes.

"That's not what I mean--"

"Then what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about--"

"Get out." Wolverine leaned his head through his rolled-down window, then slapped the door casually--it made a strange clanking noise when he did so. Then he turned toward the fire pit. Muttering something that Pepper couldn't hear, Tony climbed out, favoring his hand, and followed Wolverine, leaving her to struggle out by herself.

As soon as she got out and shut the door, she wrapped her arms around herself. A chilly wind was blowing through the trees, causing the branches high above to sway and creak. Far above, the stars were incredibly clear. Pine needles rustled beneath her feet as she followed the other two.

Wolverine strayed toward the woods, and Pepper heard a _shink _as he extended the claws on his right hand. Swiftly, he cut up several branches and hauled them over to the pit, tossing them down inside. Using a lighter and some tinder, he soon had a small fire going. He glanced up at Tony and Pepper, who stood on the other side of the pit.

"There are two sleeping bags and two pillows in the trailer," he said, tossing the key to Pepper. "And there are a couple beds in the camper. There's not much room, but it's better than sleeping on the ground."

"Where are you going to sleep?" Pepper asked.

"On the ground," Wolverine replied, not looking at her, jabbing the fire with a stick. Pepper bit her lip, hesitating, but she was tired. So she took a breath and spoke.

"Come on," and she started toward the trailer.

"Um..." Tony tried, but she ignored him. She found the trailer, though she had to feel around for the lock, and opened it.

"Oh, wonderful," she muttered. The inside of the trailer was pitch black, and she had a feeling that the sleeping bags were under the heavy cases. "Tony, come help me please."

"You called me Tony again," he pointed out.

"Sorry--I had a momentary lapse in judgement, Mr. Stark," she said easily. He came around and stood beside her, his blue chest piece glowing softly in the dark. But it didn't provide much illumination.

"I can't really see anything."

"I know," she answered. "I think the bags are under here somewhere."

"Under the cases?"

"Yes."

He muttered something else, but together they reached inside and began feeling around.

"Aha," Pepper said as her hand came in contact with something that felt like bedding. "It's under...this one. Lift it up please."

"Okay, I'll give it a shot."

His hands slid down next to hers and grasped the case, then lifted it up. Pepper reached down beneath it and took a fistful of sleeping bag.

"Ow--crap!" Tony cried, and let go of the case. It dropped down hard on Pepper's hand.

"_Ow!_" she yelped. Jerking back, she managed to get her hand out from under it, but it hurt.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Tony panted, running his good hand through his hair again, his bad hand fluttering toward hers.

"It's okay," she winced. "What, did it hurt your burn?"

"Yeah, but that's no excuse at all," he shook his head, though she couldn't see his expression in the dark. "Let's try again, okay? I promise not to drop it."

"Okay," Pepper grimaced, but he quickly reached down inside and lifted the case again. Taking a deep breath and holding it, Pepper managed to quickly reach down and yank out the sleeping bags, then dig around and find the accompanying pillows. She tossed them on the ground and straightened.

"There, we got it," she said in a rush.

"Good," Tony grunted, letting the case go. Pepper shut the trailer, then gathered up one of the bags and a pillow.

"Let's go see what this camper's like."

"I'm afraid to."

They ventured toward it, and Pepper stepped up onto the hitch and opened the door. It squeaked, just like every other hinge belonging to Wolverine. She peered inside. She couldn't see anything.

"Okay, we're just going to have to feel our way around," she decided.

"I hope there aren't rats."

"Don't say that."

She stepped up inside, ducking her head and seeing absolutely nothing, but when Tony entered behind her, the room did fill with a faint blue light. She smiled briefly. She could barely make out two bunks with a space of floor between. She tossed her bag down on the bunk to her left, unzipped it and crawled inside, situating her pillow beneath her head the way she wanted it.

"You seem right at home Miss Potts," Tony commented, tossing his stuff down and then easing onto his own bunk.

"My parents and I used to go camping when I was little," she told him. She heard him stretch out, making noises like he felt stiff, and then letting out a long sigh as he settled.

"Have you ever been camping?" she wondered.

"No," he replied. "I don't like it."

"What do you mean?" she demanded, halfway sitting up. "How would you know if you've never been?"

"The bed's hard, the pillow's flat," he answered. "The sleeping bag's probably full of fleas, and we're out in the woods in the mountains in the middle of nowhere..."

"Oh, come on," she teased. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

He laughed out loud. They lay there a few minutes, Pepper gradually relaxing, gazing at the blurry pattern of sapphire light that Tony's chest piece made on the ceiling. Her eyelids began to flutter closed.

Then, suddenly the light went out. The camper was plunged into darkness.

She sat up so fast she nearly fell out of bed.

"Tony?" she gasped.

"What?" he asked quickly.

"Your chest piece--"

"Oh." She heard him move his arm, and the ceiling lit up again.

"I thought it was bothering you," he told her. "It keeps me awake sometimes."

"No," she said swiftly, trying to calm her heartbeat. "No, it...it doesn't bother me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said decidedly. "I'm fine. Don't...cover it up."

"Whatever you say, Miss Potts," he said quietly, and she caught the hint of a smile in his voice. Forcing the muscles in her shoulders to relax again, she settled back onto her pillow, her eyes drifting over the blue light, until she fell asleep.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Somewhere deep in the night, Pepper became aware that it was raining outside. She could hear the pattering against the fiberglass roof. And then she heard the door open and shut again, felt the truck bed rock a bit, but she was so tired she just turned over and fell back asleep.

But then she began hearing sounds--a voice muttering, arguing--even pleading. Her eyes snapped awake, and the thought flickered through her mind that Tony was having a nightmare about his captivity--

She glanced over at him. He was asleep on his side, his back to her, breathing steadily. Then she looked down. Lying on his side on the floor, facing her, was Wolverine. She could not see his face, but his posture was tense, and every few moments he would jerk, and mutter something incoherent but desperate. She felt a pang in her chest, and reached out to shake him.

"Wolverine," she said quietly, taking hold of his arm. He twitched again, and gave a strangled cry, but stayed asleep. Pepper's mind flew. She tightened her hold, and shook him again. "_Logan_."

He suddenly lashed out and grabbed her wrist so hard that the bones nearly came together. She almost yelped, but bit down on it. He lurched into a sitting position, and she saw his wild head whip back and forth, as if he did not know where he was. Then all of a sudden, his grip relaxed and his shoulders slumped.

"Pepper," he breathed.

"Yes," she said tightly. He released her wrist, but instead of letting go completely, he slid his hand down to enfold her fingers in a grip that was strikingly gentle.

"Don't...don't wake me up when I'm dreaming," he said, his voice shaking. His fingers absently tightened around hers. "I...react violently when..." She heard him swallow. "One time I hurt someone...badly..." His bear-like voice lowered. "Someone I care about." He turned toward her. "So...don't. Okay?"

She nodded.

"Okay."

He finally let go of her, and sighed.

"I came in 'cause it started to rain," he grumbled. Pepper bit her lip, then reached over and grabbed her pillow, then held it out to him, pushing it up against his chest so he knew it was there.

"No, I don't--"

"You may have it," Pepper told him. "Goodnight." And she let it go and lay back down. He held it a moment.

"Thanks," he muttered, then tucked it behind his head and lay down.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Tony stared at the wall of the trailer, now completely unable to sleep. He clenched his teeth. This Wolverine guy was starting to get on his nerves.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

_The reviews have been great, guys, and very helpful! I appreciate them more than you know! :) I hope you keep reading and enjoying! Let me know what you think!_

VVVVVVVVVVVVV

CHAPTER FOUR

_Night's Shadows_

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," Pepper began. "But I need a couple things."

Tony took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. It was six in the morning--they had gotten up an hour earlier, eaten and started out, but he was still bleary-eyed from the poor sleep he had gotten.

"What do you need?" the Wolverine asked gruffly.

"I need a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap--things like that," she replied. Wolverine frowned at her, but when she just looked at him pleasantly, his face cleared and he shrugged.

"All right. I'll stop at the next convenience store I see."

Pepper smiled.

"Thank you."

Tony's mouth twitched. He knew for certain that Wolverine would not have been so accommodating had _he _asked to stop for soap and toothpaste. Tony sat back, his gaze wandering over Pepper's features. Why _shouldn't_ the Wolverine be accommodating for her? She was smart, witty, charming, cheerful--and completely beautiful. He swallowed and clamped his jaw shut, looking the other way.

"So I've been meaning to ask you, Logan," Pepper began, and Tony sensed Wolverine tilt his head to attend to her, as he would not have done yesterday.

"Why didn't your hand look burned when you got back in the car yesterday?" she wondered. "And how can you...you know, make your claws go in and out without them tearing your hands apart?"

Wolverine glanced down at his own knuckles briefly.

"I'm a mutant," he replied quietly. "I have the ability to heal a lot faster than most people. My...claws were part of an experiment." He flexed the fingers of his right hand. "They grafted a metal called Adamantium to my entire skeleton."

Pepper sucked her breath through her teeth.

"Yeah," Wolverine grunted in agreement. "I only survived because of my healing abilities. But that power has its disadvantages."

"Really?" Pepper laughed. "I can't think of any."

"Well," he considered. "I actually have no idea how old I am."

"What? You mean...you don't age?"

"Very slowly."

"So you could be...fifty or sixty?"

He chuckled.

"Probably the better guess would be seventy."

"Like Aragorn," Pepper murmured. He looked at her sharply.

"Who's Aragorn?"

"Haven't you read _Lord of the Rings?_"

"No."

"He's a man in a book who...well, it's a long story, but he has...magical ancestors that live a long time, and so even though he looks young, he's eighty years old."

Tony could tell that though Wolverine was trying not to appear interested in a guy with magical ancestors, he was curious.

"So...who was this guy in this story? What did he do?" he asked slowly.

"He was a warrior," she told him. "And a king."

A very slight, pleased smile crossed Wolverine's mouth before vanishing. Tony felt sick. And also angry. He had never before felt at a loss for words. Usually, he could turn a phrase with wicked skill and bat a conversation around like a cat with a bird between his paws. But right in that moment he was frozen, stupid, and unable to compose anything that would shoot a hole in Wolverine's ego without damaging or offending Pepper. So he bit the inside of his cheek. Hard. He wasn't even going to try. He couldn't talk to her around _him_.

VVVVVVVVV

In another hour, they arrived at a gas station. The Wolverine opened his door and slid out onto the cement. Tony didn't look at him, but spoke at the same time he did.

"I'm staying here."

"You're staying here."

Pepper glanced at Tony.

"Why?"

"Security cameras," he answered, still just staring at the rear view mirror. Pepper hesitated.

"Tony, are you okay?"

He glanced at her. Her bright eyes looked worried. He tried to smile.

"Yeah. Go ahead."

She didn't believe him--he knew that because her mouth tightened. But she glanced down.

"Okay," she said quietly, and got out after the Wolverine. The door slammed noisily, and Tony watched the two of them head toward the gas station, talking about something. Wolverine opened the jingling door for her. Tony bit his lip. He couldn't remember if he'd ever done that for her himself.

Suddenly, his hip began to vibrate, and a loud jangling issued from his pocket.

"Holy crap," he gasped, stuffing his hand in his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. His heart pounding, he stared at the screen. He recognized the number. Quickly, he flipped the phone open and answered as casually as he could.

"Jimbo! How are you? Long time, no see. Wasn't it just yesterday you were trying to tell me how to give my speech? 'Stick to the cards,' I think you said."

"Tony?" Colonel Rhodes said hesitantly. "Is that you?"

"'Course it's me. Who else would have my phone?"

"Oh, thank God," Rhodes said in a rush. "Why didn't you tell me you were going out of town?"

"I didn't know myself," Tony said darkly, then fought to make his tone lighter. "You know, I just get cabin fever once in a while and have to go driving in the mountains."

"Well, you could have saved everybody here a lot of trouble," Rhodes scolded.

"What--by telling everybody I went for a drive?"

"A long drive."

"Yeah, a long drive. So what?"

"I thought you were dead."

Tony straightened.

"Now what would give you an idea like that?"

"Tony..." Rhodes said slowly. "I'm so sorry to tell you this, but--"

"My house blew up," Tony finished, sighing. "Yeah, I know."

"What?" Rhodes sounded startled. "How do you know? I thought you went for a drive!"

"Well, I..." Tony was finding it increasingly hard to lie to his friend. But he couldn't possibly tell him the whole truth. Not right now. "I had a bit of a warning."

"How could _you_ have had a warning?" Rhodes demanded. "We were searching the entire planet for suspects after you got your window shot out and turned up nothing. Nothing at all."

"I...Somebody came to my house. But I'm safe now, okay?"

Rhodes paused. When next he spoke, his voice was tight.

"Tony, does somebody have you? Are you being held?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah; the weather's good here."

Rhodes understood the code, and sighed again.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"I always do," Tony assured him. He glanced up to see Pepper and Wolverine coming out of the store. "I've gotta go. I'll call you later." And he hung up before Rhodes could protest.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Pepper tried to stretch her stiff legs, but it didn't do much good. There was no more room in this cab than there was before.

They wound back and forth through the Colorado Rockies, occasionally catching glimpses of spectacular views through gaps in the towering pines. Pepper loved gazing out the windows and windshield at the craggy, granite peaks, the farthest ones graced with pure white snow. Logan glanced in the rear view window and smiled lopsidedly.

"Yes, I'm the bane of your existence. Deal with it."

"Hm?"

"People hate me in these mountains," he answered, the smirk still there. "I can't go fast up these hills because of that heavy trailer, and they can't pass when there's a sheer cliff over there," he indicated the dreadful fall off to their right. "So they just pile up behind me, and when I look, they...shake their fists at me."

Pepper chuckled.

"Are you sure that's the reason?" Tony muttered. Logan's right eyebrow arched. Pepper blinked, looking over at Tony.

"What?" She frowned. Tony shrugged nonchalantly.

"I was just speculating that maybe they shake their fists at you because this thing is a gas-eating junk heap that spews fumes, and they'd rather not have it right in front of them, blowing smoke in their faces."

Pepper stared at him. Logan lifted his chin, looking resolutely out front.

"You can get out and walk any time you want, Stark," he snapped. Pepper couldn't believe what she had just heard. Tony wouldn't look at her. She glowered at him, then turned away. After _that _comment, she was glad he wouldn't look.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Pepper stared at the ceiling of the camper. She wasn't tired--not physically. She _was_ tired of sitting in a truck between two cranky men--and she was tired of the only halfway civilized one being the rough-spoken Wolverine man who smoked a cigar.

The night was deep, and she was cold. She pulled the sleeping bag up under her chin, and felt her brow furrow. Logan was outside again. It was much chillier here than it had been in Utah, and he hadn't even been willing to accept her pillow tonight. Tony hadn't covered up his chest piece though, so it glowed softly against the ceiling, giving her some comfort.

_Shink. Shink._

Pepper sat up.

"Tony--"

"What--"

Outside, Pepper heard Logan issue a dreadful battle roar. It was followed by a succession of gunshots.

"Logan!" she cried, throwing the sleeping bag off herself and scrambling for her shoes.

"Stay here!" Tony commanded, tossing his own wrap off and getting to his feet.

"No!"

Tony pulled on his shoes and ducked toward the door.

"Pepper, do as I say--"

"Go!" Pepper pushed him from behind, and the two of them stumbled out onto the gravel of the campsite. They stopped short. What Pepper saw drove the color from her face and the warmth from her limbs.

Logan lay on his back near the fire, his claws extended, blood creating a large stain on the front of his t-shirt. Otherwise, he was completely alone in the clearing.

Pepper yelped his name again, and raced toward him. Absently, she heard Tony follow her, shouting _her _name. She fell to her knees beside Logan, tears starting.

"Logan." She reached down and pressed shaking fingers against his throat, fully expecting to find only warmth and stillness. His black eyes flashed open. He reached over and took hold of her wrist again, but his claws were still extended, and his grip was not harsh.

"Get back in the truck," he gritted.

"No, you--"

"I'm fine," he grimaced. Then he actually sat up. The next second, something clinked against the ground. Pepper looked down. By the light of the fire, she saw a bullet lying there.

"What--"

She could not finish. A salvo of gunfire blasted through the trees. Logan leaped up and threw himself in front of Tony. He staggered twice. Wounds opened up in his back. Pepper screamed. Tony caught Logan in his arms as he fell into him, horror in his eyes--a familiar horror, as if he had seen this before.

"Get in the truck and get out of here," Logan commanded. Tony's grip on Logan became stronger, and he looked right in his eyes.

"No."

Using all his strength, he hauled Logan around the trailer. "Pepper, come on!"

Pepper leaped up and followed them, bullets shattering the ground behind her heels. She dove behind the trailer with the other two.

Logan was breathing heavily, and even in the dim light, Pepper could see him sweating.

"Who are these people?" Tony hissed, tearing at Logan's shirt. Logan shrugged the garment off and retracted his claws.

"I don't know. I...ah!" he gasped as he leaned forward, and the bullets worked their way out of his back and fell to the ground. Pepper wanted to cover her eyes.

"Well, we can't just get in and drive away." Tony peered over the trailer toward the fire. "They'll just follow us."

"So what do you suggest?" Logan countered.

"Give me your keys."

Logan hesitated a moment, then dug in his pocket and handed Tony the trailer keys. As soon as Tony lifted the lid, more gunfire exploded out of the darkness. Tony didn't flinch from it. He reached in and shoved several cases out of the way, until he found the one he was looking for. "Okay, now we're cooking with gas," he grinned, yanking that lid open and pulling something out.

"What's that?" Logan demanded as Tony let the lid bang shut and sat down next to him.

"It's an arm," Logan stated.

"It's a flight stabilizer," Pepper remembered.

"It's a weapon," Tony finished. "Just give me a sec--"

Bullets thundered against the trailer, and Pepper covered her head with her hands.

"Hurry up, Stark," Logan snarled. Tony slid his hand into the forearm piece of the mechanical arm, and soon his fingers inside animated the metal ones. He took hold of the collar of his buttoned shirt and yanked on it, tearing the buttons off and exposing his chest. He then snatched at the long dangling wires that hung from the mechanical glove and attached them deftly but quickly to his glowing chest piece. The metal arm hummed, and the bright light in the palm flashed to life. Tony turned to Logan.

"Okay, here's the plan: I'll knock them out of the trees, and then you and I can take care of them."

"What do you want me to do?" Pepper asked.

"Do you have claws that come out of your hands or a blasting flight stabilizer, or some other cool power you haven't told us about?" Tony wondered.

"No, but--"

"Then stay here."

She wouldn't have done it, but he smiled at her, and winked. Her chest relaxed, just a bit. The next instant, the men were on their feet. They strode around the trailer, heads up. Logan extended his arms, and his dreadful claws shot out. Tony lifted his arm and pointed at the nearest tree.

_Phaaacheeeeng!_

The tree was struck by a shuddering, invisible blow that shook it down to its roots. Two black clad men cried out, and fell from the tree, landing with sickening thuds. Tony did not wait. He slammed the next tree and the next, and men came raining out of their branches.

Logan gave a beast-like roar and charged toward the first two men. Screams and wild gunfire filled the night, but Logan was too fast. He filleted them like fish in an instant, then whirled to the next group. Tony's weapon worked like lightning and thunder together. Every time an enemy would start to point a weapon at him, he would brace himself, and his unseen fist would blast them backward with bone-crushing force.

Pepper forced herself to duck down and not watch. She was shaking badly. The thought of just one stray bullet...

Suddenly, drastically, the night fell silent.

Something chirped in the distance. The fire crackled.

"Okay, Pepper, you can come out," Tony called. She managed to get her feet underneath her, but her muscles were trembling. The two men stood in the clearing, side by side. Both were bleeding.

"Are you all right?" Logan wondered.

"Yeah," she lied.

"We're going to look at the bodies," Tony told her. "We'll see if we can find out who they are."

His voice was ringing strangely in her ears.

"Okay, you have fun with that," she told them, and steadied herself on the vehicle until she could climb in. It took too much effort, but she got inside and buckled up before she knew what she was doing. She was shivering all over. She covered her face in her hands.

"I'm such a coward," she berated herself. But she immediately shut her mouth, for she felt that if she said anything more, she would be sick, or faint, or cry.

VVVVVVVVV

Tony saw nothing but the road in front, lit by the dim headlights. He watched the white and yellow lines weave back and forth like snakes, Wolverine's deft hand on the steering wheel following their movements.

They had not been able to find out anything about the men who tried to kill them. There had been thirteen of them, dressed simply in black, their faces covered, their heads hooded. When Tony and Wolverine had unmasked them, neither man had recognized any of them. The uniforms and guns bore no markings. It was as if they had been attacked by the night itself.

So the two had jumped into the truck and driven off, deeming the place unsafe. Now they had been driving for an hour, and it was only two in the morning.

Tony glanced over at the other two. Wolverine's brow was knotted in simmering anger and trouble, and though he watched the road carefully, Tony could tell his thoughts were still in that campsite behind them. He had retrieved a shirt and wore his leather jacket again. He drove with his left hand.

Pepper was sleeping, leaning against Logan's broad, sturdy shoulder. Tony tried to look away from them, but suddenly found he couldn't. To see the way her ginger hair rippled against Wolverine's black leather made him--sad.

He sighed. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't help it. And even he could feel the pain in the sound. He finally stared out the black window.

"Here, hon."

Tony glanced back over. Wolverine was talking to Pepper, though she was still asleep. He slowed the truck down, and shifted, moving his arm until she drifted against his chest. Tony's throat closed. But very gently, Wolverine maneuvered her away from him, supporting her head in his rough hand. He glanced up at Tony.

"Here," he said. Tony blinked, then uncertainly slid his arm around her shoulders. Wolverine let her go, so she settled down against Tony, her head tucked under his chin. Wolverine smiled briefly, sweeping a strand of her hair out of her face.

"That's where she belongs, anyway," he murmured, then returned both hands to the steering wheel. Tony stared at him, not quite believing it. But then Pepper sighed and nuzzled against him, and instead of taking his arm away, he curled it protectively around her, and leaned the side of his face against her head.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

_Again, thanks for the reviews guys. I'm just tickled to death that this has struck a chord with all of you. _

_Note: Here is where it gets a bit more AU. Though I'm using the movie incarnations of all these characters, and also using their movie history (so beware of many spoilers), in THIS particular story, Rogue DID NOT take the mutant "cure." She is still plagued by (but learning to use) her mutant power of power-draining skin-on-skin contact. So please keep that in mind. :) Otherwise, enjoy!_

VVVVVVVV

CHAPTER FIVE

_New Friends, New Enemy _

Pepper didn't know how she had done it, but she survived three more days of grueling travel sitting between two threadbare, irritable super-heroes. She knew she had slept on each man's shoulder alternately, and though she was a bit embarrassed to discover that fact, neither of them seemed to mind, so she tried to ignore her chagrin. She _did_ know (though she kept it to herself) that she slept better when she leaned against Tony. Logan was too--hard. She smirked to herself. _I sound like Goldilocks._

But finally, at long last, they crossed the border of their destination state: New York.

"So what's in New York?" Tony asked. Pepper couldn't take her eyes off the beautiful, lush, verdant scenery, but she wanted to know the answer to that, too.

"A school."

Both Pepper and Tony raised their eyebrows at him.

"A school?" they repeated.

"Yeah," he grunted. "You guys probably heard about it--a few years ago, the government started a scuffle with mutants, and it got ugly." Logan's face hardened, and his eyes grew distant. "The school was for mutant kids, but everyone there got caught up in the fight. We lost our headmaster, another one of the teachers, and..." He swallowed. "Well, two teachers."

"But the school's still running?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah," Logan took a deep breath, as if pushing something to the back of his mind. "Several of us older mutants have kept it running."

"So you're a teacher?" Tony wondered skeptically. Logan chuckled.

"No, not really. I teach some combat training, but I'm just there to try and keep things together." He suddenly frowned. "Speaking of which..." He reached down into his pocket, then a look of disconcertion crossed his face. He swore. "I lost my cell phone."

"Uh, oh. Back at the campsite or when we got out for lunch?" Tony guessed.

Logan stared off so long that Pepper was afraid they would crash.

"No..." he mused. "It must have been...before that." He abruptly leaned back and rolled his eyes. "I know exactly when it was. It was when I pulled the trailer keys out to give them to you."

"When?"

"When the bad guys were shooting at us."

"And you just now noticed?" Tony jabbed. "That was days ago!"

"Hey, _some _people aren't glued to their cell phones for life support," Logan countered. But Pepper was pleased to note that the edge was gone from their voices--at least for now.

VVVVVVVV

"Here it is," Logan announced as they pulled through the iron-wrought gates and approached an ivied, towering, castle-like mansion.

"Wow," Pepper breathed. "It's beautiful."

They parked the truck and got out, Pepper marveling at the thick, ancient trees that stood guard all around the stone mansion. The air felt fresh and smelled of flowers and pine, and it was just cool enough to make it pleasant.

"Not much, but it works," Logan stated. "Lets get that iron suit unpacked."

"Logan!"

Logan turned to see a willowy lady exiting the large wooden door. She was beautiful, with shoulder-length, pure white hair, and wearing flowing blue clothes. She raced out the door, her auburn eyes shining with worry.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked intently, taking hold of her shoulder.

"We've been trying to contact you you for days," she exclaimed, and despite her concern, her voice was melodic. "Why weren't you answering your phone?"

"I lost it," he explained. "Did something happen?"

"Yes, something did happen," Storm nodded, her tone calming. Logan's eyes flashed.

"Storm..." he said warningly.

"Before you do anything rash, she's okay."

"She?" Now his eyes blazed. "Marie?"

"Yes. But Logan--" She snatched his arm as he tried to pass her. He spun around.

"_What?"_

"She'll tell you all about it, all right? She's broken her leg--"

"Her _leg?_"

"--but the worst thing that's wrong with her right now is that she's worried to death about you," Storm finished. "So you need to be calm, and happy, and go in there and show her that you're healthy and fine. Take someone with you, like...like..." She trailed off as she caught sight of Pepper. "Who is this?"

"Storm, this is Pepper Potts," Logan said impatiently. "And that's Tony Stark."

Tony was standing over by the trailer, just as flabbergasted as Pepper. Storm broke into a broad, lovely smile.

"Mr. Stark! We've been waiting for you!" She strode over to him and offered a delicate hand. Tony took it.

"Pleased to meet you," he answered, clearly trying to summon up his manners from out of his bewilderment.

"Logan, take Miss Potts with you," Storm instructed.

"But--"

"Go ahead. Hurry!"

"All right, come on," Logan turned and swiftly headed toward the door. Pepper glanced helplessly back at Tony, who returned the expression, before she hurried after Logan and entered the mansion.

VVVVVVVVV

It was a fabulous building, full of wooden hallways, beautiful paintings, tapestries, suits of armor and sculptures. Pepper would enjoy wandering through it later. She couldn't enjoy it now--she was racing to keep up with Logan's long strides. They plunged down several staircases, then entered a long hallway that bore a striking contrast to the rest of the mansion. It was metal all around, and the light felt sterile. Their footsteps clanked as they walked. Logan swooped down another hallway, and entered a section that definitely looked like a medical wing.

There were three rooms side by side that had been partitioned off away from the ICU section. Two were empty. One was occupied, but the door was open. Pepper stepped inside that one after Logan did, and was suddenly struck with wonder at the change in his entire bearing.

He smiled--and it was a real one. It held no irony or bitterness or sarcasm. His chest swelled, just slightly, as if a heavy burden had lifted off his shoulders.

"How's my girl?" he asked.

The person he addressed lay on the bed, wearing regular, relaxed clothes--sweat pants and a short sleeved, sweetheart-necked gray shirt. Her left leg was in a cast up to her knee, and propped up on pillows. She had long, very dark hair that bore two prominent streaks of white. She was young, though; perhaps in her early twenties. And she was very pretty, in a classical, sweet way, with brilliant brown eyes and an expressive mouth.

"Logan!" she almost sang his name, she was so relieved. "We thought you'd died!"

"I did, once or twice," he assured her. "But I knew you'd chew me out if I stayed dead, so here I am."

She laughed, and Pepper could see the anxiety breaking away from her like ice on a thawing pond. But there was something beneath that--pain, and longing. Pepper saw it in the girl's brow.

Logan came up to stand beside her, then seemed to remember Pepper was there.

"Marie," he said, glancing up at Pepper. "This is Pepper Potts. She's here with Tony Stark."

"How do you do?" Pepper stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you," Marie nodded, smiling.

"She's also known as Rogue," Logan added, for Pepper's benefit.

"You seem to know each other well," Pepper ventured.

"Yeah, we go way back," Marie looked up at him fondly.

"Yep," he confirmed. "We take turns almost killing each other."

Marie grinned, and he returned it. Pepper could suddenly tell that he wanted to touch her--even to just briefly run his fingers along her bare arm, to show he had missed her--but he stopped himself. Pepper's brow furrowed as she wondered why.

"So," Wolverine eased down on the bed next to her legs. "What's been happenin' around here while I've been gone? What did you do to yourself?"

"Oh," she looked chagrined. "I didn't listen to you."

Logan sobered.

"You didn't go after him, did you?"

"It was only to go check him out--we weren't trying to start a fight," she insisted.

"We?" Logan pointed out. "Who went with you?"

"Peter."

"I'm going to kill that kid--"

"You almost don't have to," she murmured.

Logan silenced. His brow furrowed.

"Really? Why?"

"He got hit with the weapon," Rogue murmured. "He's on down; still in ICU."

Logan turned and surveyed Marie's injury, and swallowed again.

"So how did you break your leg?"

"I fell. Peter tried to catch me, but then he got hit, and I landed in the street. He got me home, though, before he collapsed."

Logan looked at her.

"I wish you wouldn't try that stuff when I'm not around."

Pepper faded back into the corner. She almost felt as if she were intruding, but she couldn't leave because she was certain she would get lost in this huge place.

Rogue gave Logan a half smile.

"I tried to call, but _somebody _wasn't answering his phone," she teased gently.

"When did you go?" he asked.

"Two days ago," she answered, leaning back into her huge pillow.

"So you've basically just been sitting around taking pain killers, huh?" Logan surmised.

"Yeah," she smiled. "They make me sleepy. But they do have one kinda cool side

effect." She slid her hand forward, slipped it under his hand and closed her fingers around his. He stared, wide-eyed, at their entwined hands, as if waiting for a bomb to go off--but nothing happened. Pepper, perplexed, watched Logan lift his eyes to hers in wonder, and then tighten his fingers gently. Then he cleared his throat.

"So...are you just gonna...shoot yourself up with painkiller all the time?"

"No," she laughed lightly. "But once we find out what exactly is doin' it, I could take a shot like every Wednesday and have a hug fest."

"Well," Logan canted his head. "I'll make sure I'm around on Wednesdays, then."

"Today's Wednesday," she said quietly.

"So are you saying you want a hug now?" he wondered, as if expecting her to laugh. But the smile faded from her face, and her eyebrows pulled together. She suddenly looked on the verge of tears, and she didn't do anything but nod three times. Logan hesitated.

"Well, come here then," he said roughly, though his brow tightened. He held out his arms, and she halfway sat up, but it was difficult for her. He scooted forward and slid his arms around her slender frame and gathered her in. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lowered his head down onto her shoulder. Then she started to cry.

"Hey, hey," Logan's grip tightened on her, and he rubbed her back. "What's wrong?"

"I was so worried about you," she said haltingly. "And I didn't know where you were, and Peter almost died, and this happened to me..." She took fistfulls of his coat and her eyes squeezed shut. "And then Bobby left..."

"Bobby left? Why?"

Pepper stepped out of the room. She was definitely intruding now. She moved out into the hall, out of earshot of their conversation, and swiped at her eyes. Taking a deep breath and trying to gather herself, she decided to try and find Tony, even if she did get lost.

VVVVVVVVVV

Tony had no idea where Pepper was. But he was sure he wouldn't be able to find her on his own. This place was too huge.

Storm had gone in and called a young man out to help them with the cases; she had called him Colossus. Tony was too afraid of him to tease him about that; the kid was massive, with rippling muscles and a square jaw. He picked up three cases in each hand and hauled them easily into a large garage. Storm and Tony trailed behind, bearing one case each.

Tony marveled at the high-ceilinged, cement parking garage, and at the shining muscle cars lined up there. However, he didn't get to look long, because the three headed straight for a large elevator, entered it, and it descended with a smooth hum.

"So where are we going?" Tony asked Storm, keeping a watchful eye on the stern, hulking human behind her.

"We're going down to the work room we've gotten ready for you."

"Workroom?" Tony repeated, surprised. "You guys knew I was coming?"

"Well, we've hoped you would come for a while now," Storm admitted. "Then when we finally knew how to get a hold of you, we thought we'd come get you ourselves."

"You mean when I announced to everyone on earth that I was Iron Man," Tony sighed.

"Yes," Storm replied, unruffled. The elevator stopped with a slight bump, the doors hissed open, and they stepped out.

"Oh," Tony blinked. "Wow."

The room was vast, metal-walled and sterile, reminding him a lot of his workshop at home. Computers lined the walls, and several units perched atop rolling tables. Work lamps hung from the ceiling, as did several other apparatus that looked very familiar.

"How did you know I would need those to hold up my suit?" Tony pointed. Storm grinned.

"We made educated guesses. But if you need anything else, all you have to do is ask."

"Fabulous," Tony said sincerely.

"I'll go get the rest of the cases," Colossus said, stepping back into the elevator.

"We have state-of-the-art equipment waiting for you here," Storm said, setting the case down and striding forward. "Hard drives with lots of memory, cutting-edge engineering software, and also tools that you can..." She trailed off as her eyes narrowed at something across the room. Then she put her hands on her hips.

"Peter Parker," she scolded. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Tony leaned around a computer console to see a young man wearing a hospital gown sitting in a wheelchair. The kid had brown hair, neatly combed, and a friendly countenance with lively blue eyes. He grinned at Storm.

"What are you talking about? I feel great."

"You're just like Logan," Storm shook her head as she approached him, Tony at her side. "You were in a _coma _yesterday, and today you think you can just wander around, doing whatever you want?"

Parker seemed to enjoy her nagging, because his smile grew broader.

"I got better!"

At first glance, Tony would have taken Parker for a geek, or at least a bookworm. But as he looked closer, Tony could see that beneath that hospital gown, Parker was built.

"So is this the man?" Parker's bright eyes glanced up at Tony, and Storm had to relent in her scolding in favor of introductions.

"Tony Stark, this is Peter Parker."

"Um...okay," Tony was confused, but stuck his hand out. Parker laughed and grasped his hand in a strong grip.

"Otherwise known as your friendly neighborhood Spiderman."

Tony was stricken. His mouth fell open.

"No way," he stammered, not letting go of his hand but turning to Storm. "Spiderman? _The _Spiderman, who's all over the news all the time as either the bane or the savior of New York City?"

"Hey, I've been sharing the headlines lately, _Iron Man_," Parker reminded him, dropping his hand.

"Yeah, why do we all feel the need to put 'man' on the ends of our names, huh?" Tony said thoughtfully, crossing his arms over his chest. "We could just as easily leave them at 'Spider' and 'Iron.'"

Parker laughed.

"So what happened to you?" Tony wondered. Parker glanced over at Storm, as if testing the waters.

"Well...it's been a busy week."

"Me too," Tony said frankly. "I've been sniped, my house was broken into and then blown up, and I've been shot at by thirteen men in the middle of the woods."

"Oh," Parker blinked. "Do you...have any idea who did it?"

"That's the fun part," Tony replied, keeping his arms folded. "I have no clue."

Parker looked to Storm again, and she sighed.

"All right, go ahead and tell him, Pete," she allowed. "And you can show him around his workshop--if you _promise _to go back to bed after that."

"I promise," he agreed amiably.

"I'm going to go check on Logan and Pepper." Storm turned and headed back to the elevator.

When they were left alone, Tony studied Parker's face. Yes, he was young, but his features were marked--marked the way Tony's were, and even Logan's. They all had seen things. Things they wished they hadn't.

"So you're Spiderman," Tony said, still not quite able to grasp that.

"Yeah," Parker sighed. He held up his left hand and pointed to a dark scar on the back of it. "A few years ago, I got bit by a radioactive spider and the venom changed my DNA. I essentially became a mutant, like these other guys." Parker turned his wrist, and displayed another strange scar-like mark right beneath the heel of his hand. Then, suddenly, he pressed his two middle fingers down against his palm--and web shot out of the scar. Tony jerked back. The strand of web latched onto a calculator ten feet away, and Parker flicked his wrist, grabbed his end of the web and yanked it back toward him. The calculator landed in his hand with a slap. Tony stared at him.

"That...is _really _cool," Tony decided.

"Thanks," Parker shook off the web and set the calculator in his lap. "It took me a long time to be able to yank on something and have it come straight back to my hand." He grinned sheepishly. "I broke more than one of my aunt May's lamps."

Tony halfway smiled. Parker was not at all the kind of cocky, flashy guy he had expected. He seemed plain and soft-spoken, almost like someone who grew up in the midwest, farming, rather than swinging between the skyscrapers in New York City, his picture splashed all over _The Daily Bugle_.

"So...Storm said you were going to tell me something," Tony prompted.

"Yeah, okay," Peter sighed, rubbing his temple. "Go ahead and have a seat."

Tony looked around, caught sight of a black, metal stool, dragged it over and perched on it in front of Parker. Parker took a deep breath.

"We think we know who's been shooting at you."

Tony's eyebrows went up.

"Really?"

Parker nodded.

"His name is Edmund Vicar, and he's a brilliant scientist. He's a sort of renaissance man when it comes to technology--he knows how to do _everything_. But his specialty is medical technology and frequency emitters."

Tony's brow tightened.

"Frequency emitters?" He felt coldness settle in his gut.

"Yeah. He lived in Chicago, and published a book about his research. Some of it,

anyway." Parker frowned down at the calculator. "And Nick Fury had the idea to try and include him in the Avenger Initiative."

"What exactly is that?" Tony pressed. "Fury came and talked to me, too, but I'd...sorta had a long day."

"Nick wanted to try to get people together who have extraordinary abilities, whether they be intellectual or physical, and make a sort of alliance, so that none of us have to fight our enemies alone," Parker explained, leaning back into his chair. "He came and secured Logan, and his next person to visit was Edmund Vicar." Parker sighed. "Nick explained everything, including the people he was planning to invite. He knew we were ready to join up and get some help. Both Logan and I--and I'm sure you, too," Parker glanced at him. "Have lost people. People we couldn't save."

Tony felt a stab as Yensen's face flashed in front of him. His throat tightened.

"Yes," he murmured.

"So, anyway," Parker shook himself, as if trying to shake off a cloud. "Edmund said he'd think about it...and then he bought Oscorp Industries."

"Oscorp?" Tony leaned forward. "That didn't pass to a relative?"

"No," Parker shook his head. "After Harry Osborn died, there were no relatives."

Tony caught something in Parker's downcast eyes.

"I knew Harry," Tony stated. Parker looked at him in surprise.

"You did?"

Tony shrugged.

"Sure. I knew his dad more than I knew him, but we moved in the same circles, being both wealthy and scientists." Tony took a breath, and spoke more quietly. "I always kinda liked Harry--a lot more than his dad. I was sorry to hear it when he died."

"Yeah," Parker sounded choked. Tony suddenly understood. Harry had been the one Parker couldn't save.

"So what happened with this Vicar?" Tony asked, moving away from that dark subject. Parker shifted, again pushing memories back.

"Before I was even asked to the Avengers, Vicar was approached by several very wealthy men who would rather there _not _be an Avenger initiative." Parker ran a hand through his hair. "Nick didn't know he had invited a mercenary. And since we weren't offering any pay, and they were offering millions..."

"Vicar went with them," Tony concluded, folding his arms again.

"Yeah," Parker rubbed his temple again. "And then he started killing mutants."

Tony stiffened. Parker's gaze sharpened.

"I heard about it, without knowing anything about the Avengers yet, and I traced the murders to his mansion. He used this little hand-held device that made a high-pitched sound. It almost killed me." He massaged his neck right beneath his ear, wincing slightly. "It scrambled my Spider sense, and I hurt all the way down to my bones." He laid out his hand, palm up. "I have no idea how I got back to my apartment. But when I got there, Nick was waiting for me."

"How did he know where to go?" Tony wondered. Parker halfway smiled.

"He probably followed the man in the Spiderman suit staggering up the stairs to my apartment," he guessed ruefully. "He got me in a helicopter and brought me here. They have special equipment here to treat people with altered DNA."

"And did they find anything out?" Tony asked intently.

"Yeah," Parker answered definitely. "They found out that it's a good thing I wasn't born a mutant."

"Really?" Tony sat back. "Can you elaborate?"

"The other mutants that died were killed with this emitter, and from what we know, they died instantly," Parker revealed darkly. "Apparently it attacks something in the mutant genes that is congenital, but only paralyzed me and disabled my powers for a while." Parker stretched his neck. "And it hurt a lot."

"What did the emitter look like?"

"It was really small," Parker held up his hand, spreading his thumb and forefinger to encompass an invisible device. "It had a green light on it, I think--or some kind of light--and it just made this unbearable high pitched squeal. I think I bled out of my ear."

Tony ran both hands through his hair and slapped them down on his thighs.

"I am _so _tired of people stealing my stuff," he muttered blackly.

"Yeah, I actually kind of recognized it," Parker admitted. "I've read a lot about your weapons technologies, and your arc reactor technology. He didn't get a hold of any of your emitters, I don't think--he seems to have built his own just for mutants." Parker paused. "And we can't fight him."

Tony watched him a moment, then leaned back.

"Oh, _I _see," he nodded, biting his lip. "This wasn't just a mercy mission to give me a nice, safe place to stay, was it? You guys hijacked me here to make me build you something that will make you immune to this emitter, since I made an emitter of my own, right?"

"No," Parker said seriously. "We were just hoping that you might want to help us out."

"Hm," Tony narrowed his eyes at him. "That's nice. And are there any other ulterior motives I need to know about?"

"Well," Parker hesitated, then met his eyes. "You're not a mutant."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

_Thanks for reading and reviewing, everybody. I aspire to keep entertaining every one of you. :) _

VVVVVVVVVV

CHAPTER SIX

"There you are," Pepper sighed in relief, catching sight of Tony through a narrow metal doorway. He glanced up from one of his open cases, which was lying on the floor, and smiled at her.

"Hi, Pepper."

She stepped into the room where he was and stopped.

"Tony, this is incredible," she exclaimed. "This looks almost exactly like your workshop at home."

"It's nice to hear you say so, Miss Potts."

Pepper jumped as she familiar disembodied voice echoed through the large work room.

"Jarvis!" she laughed. "When did you come online?"

"Just a few minutes ago," he answered. "And I am told that I owe my very existence to you."

"Well, I--"

"I hadn't been uploaded to the new suit yet," Jarvis explained. "I would have been destroyed with the house had you not found my program discs."

Pepper grinned modestly.

"Happy to be of service."

Tony gave a crooked smile, pulling another piece of machinery out of a case and setting it on a tabletop.

"So they had all this ready for you?" Pepper asked, sweeping her gaze over all the equipment as she stepped toward him. He nodded, laying out a set of tiny screwdrivers.

"Turns out they have a few extra motives for bringing me here."

Pepper frowned.

"Like what?"

He glanced at her.

"The Avenger Initiative is just getting started--it's supposedly a band of...superheroes, I guess, and it consists of mutants right now." He lifted his head. "They've got a new enemy named Edmund Vicar," Tony said the name with a flourish. "He's a rich scientist mercenary, sounds like. He also calls himself the Night Prince." Tony opened another case and gingerly pulled out the long gauntlet he had used to knock the men out of the trees. "Apparently, he's decided he wants to destroy the Avengers before they get started, and he's using a frequency emitter almost like the one I invented." His tone darkened, and he grabbed one of the screwdrivers. "Except his kills mutants."

Pepper gasped.

"Who told you all this?"

"Peter Parker," he answered, tightening a screw.

"Who?"

Tony met her gaze again, and gave a simple smile.

"Spiderman."

Pepper's mouth fell open.

"_Spiderman?"_

"Yeah," Tony chuckled, returning his attention to the tools. "I was a little surprised

myself."

"What's he doing here?" Pepper wondered. "I thought he lived in New York City."

"He got slammed with the emitter," Tony replied, setting down one screwdriver and picking up another. "He went one time to investigate and got hit with it, then got dragged here to be treated. When he got better, he and some other person named Rogue went to spy some more, and he got hit again, and she hurt herself, I think."

"Rogue? Oh, Marie."

Tony stopped.

"Marie? You've met her?"

"Yeah, she's the one Storm was talking about when she ran out to meet us."

"Speaking of that," Tony stood up and moved to one of the computers, bending down to turn it on. "Where's your Wolverine?"

Pepper started.

"My Wolv..." Flustered, she put her hands on her hips. "His name is Logan. And he's...he's not _mine!_"

"Really?" Tony muttered. Pepper couldn't speak.

"I can't believe..." Pepper stammered, shocked. "Why would you say something like

that?"

"Oh, I don't know," Tony said almost venomously.

"Tony Stark," Pepper snapped. "First of all, it's none of your business who...I mean... And second of all, there's...I can't believe you think something's going on between...Because there isn't!" Pepper almost stamped her foot. Her face flamed.

"Oh?" Tony knelt to plug in three wires. "What makes you so sure, _Miss Potts_?"

"Because...he loves somebody."

Tony raised his head so fast he banged it on the underside of a table.

"Ow! _What?_"

"Yes."

"He _discussed _that with you?"

"No, of course not," Pepper scoffed.

"Then how do you know?" Tony demanded, standing up and rubbing his head.

"Because it's _obvious_."

He ceased rubbing his head.

"What are you talking about? He didn't say a word to you and you're convinced he's madly in love with--"

"I don't know the gory details, no," Pepper cut him off, folding her arms across her chest. "And I don't even know if _he _knows it yet. Or either of them, for that matter. But I can tell."

"And how can you tell?"

She shrugged.

"It's easy. I saw the way he looked at her."

Tony froze. His hand slowly dropped back down to his side.

"You saw..." He swallowed, abruptly disconcerted. "You mean, you can tell if a guy...by the way he _looks _at her?"

"Yes," she acknowledged frankly. "And the way he talks to her--he's vulnerable, and his voice gets quiet, and he teases a little."

"Oh," Tony said shortly, stood there a moment, then turned and grabbed another one of the cases, setting it up on a table and flicking it open. Pepper watched him, mystified.

"Pepper! I've been looking for you."

Pepper turned to see Storm striding toward her. Pepper managed to clear her expression and put on a smile.

"I shouldn't have trusted Logan to be a good tour guide," Storm apologized.

"Where is he?" Pepper wondered pointedly. "Still with Marie?"

Storm sighed.

"Yes. Poor girl." Storm drew herself up. "I wanted to show you to your room, if that's all right. I thought you might be anxious to get cleaned up after riding in a truck for five days with... Logan and Mr. Stark."

Pepper laughed in a rush.

"You have no idea."

"All right, come with me," Storm beamed. "I'll come back in a bit to show you around, Mr. Stark."

"No, go ahead," Tony answered, not looking at either of them as he sorted through another case. "I want to get this all organized."

"All right."

So Pepper followed Storm toward the door, glancing back only once. Tony quickly looked away. He had been watching her. Pepper smiled and left the room.

VVVVVVVVVV

"All right, I give up."

"You really mean that?"

"No," Tony groaned, rubbing his eyes. "I just feel like I'm stuck in that cave again--except my suit's still in pieces. And I've been staring at this computer screen without seeing the sun for three days." He leaned wearily, stiffly back in his chair. "I'm a weapons manufacturer, not a genetic scientist."

"Well, let's try something else. If I turned the image this way, and blew it up to--"

"Pete," Tony turned to Parker, who was leaning over to point at the screen.

"Yeah?"

"Let's go outside. You wanna go outside for a while? Yeah, I think you do. Let's go outside."

Parker chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Stark."

Tony rose from his chair, massaging his shoulder, and Parker stood with him. Parker now wore everyday clothes--jeans, tennis shoes, and a t-shirt--and moved easily, as if he'd never been hurt.

"I'm still amazed," Tony said, pushing his chair under the desk and shaking his head. "You don't look like anything close to what happened to you actually happened to you."

Parker smiled crookedly and started toward the door, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I heal fast," he explained. "Not as fast as Logan, but fast."

"I'm jealous," Tony muttered. "I want super-duper healing powers and spider sense and claws and stuff."

"I'm sure we'll all be really impressed with your suit when you get it together," Parker reminded him as the door to the elevator hissed open. Tony sighed.

"_If _I get it together."

VVVVVVVV

Pepper ventured out onto the lawn behind the mansion, reveling in the feel of the sunshine on her face and the sound of the birds twittering in the branches. The sunlight cascaded over the green grass and sparkled through the fountains and reflecting pools. It was warm out, refreshing, and all the grounds were the most welcoming sight she'd ever seen.

Storm had given her some more comfortable clothes--namely some pants and a quarter-length-sleeve shirt and sandals--and so she finally felt as if she was not at work, but actually on some sort of odd vacation. She sighed. She was long overdue for a vacation anyway--especially when it took terrorists blowing up the house for her to get one.

She caught the noise of voices, faintly, and strolled down the shady, stone walkway, past the fountain, and around this side of the mansion. Suddenly, a broad, green, sunny lawn stretched out in front of her. It was filled with children. They all stood in ranks, listening intently. A man was pacing in front of them, giving what appeared to be a lecture. Pepper covered her mouth to smother a laugh and hide a smile. It was Wolverine.

"So, you're not a teacher, Logan?" she whispered to herself. Beyond him, sitting on a shady bench, was Marie, her foot propped up, crutches leaning beside her. Quietly, so as not to disturb class, Pepper began to gingerly walk behind Logan, planning to sit with Marie.

"There are several things you need to keep in mind in a battle," Logan said loudly, his hands clasped behind his back. "Where are your friends? Who are your enemies? Are there any dangerous materials or equipment that you need to avoid? Are your friends trying to communicate with you without using words?" He stopped pacing. Pepper was almost past him. "But _the _most important thing of all," Logan stated. "Is to _always _be aware of your

surroundings."

_Shink. _

Movement flashed in front of Pepper, so fast that she didn't even have time to scream. All she could do was gasp, stop instantly, and wince away from whatever-it-was that was flying at her.

Silence fell. Nothing hit her. She dared to open her eyes.

Wolverine's razor-sharp, left hand claws were pointed directly at her face, only an inch away. She followed his bare, muscled arm up to his shoulder, and then found his face. He was smiling wickedly at her.

"Hello, Pepper," he said quietly.

"Logan," she said breathlessly, lowering her hands. "You scare me."

"Good," he said shortly, his grin broadening. Pepper heard Marie laughing. He lowered his claws, and they shot back into his hands. Now the kids were laughing, too. Pepper tried to glare fiercely at him, straightening her shirt, fighting against her blush. He barked out a laugh.

"This actually would be a good class for you, Pepper."

"What? Why?"

"Because you don't have any blasting stabilizers or claws," he explained. She folded her arms.

"No thanks."

"I'm serious," he countered, leveling his gaze at her. "This is a class that kids take in case their powers are disabled. So the next time somebody's trying to kill you..."

Gunfire rang through Pepper's memory. Her blush faded and she swallowed.

"Good point," she nodded decisively. "Okay--where do I stand?"

VVVVVVVV

"So you were born in New York?" Tony asked as he strolled with Parker down a walkway in the rose gardens.

"Yeah," Parker nodded. "My folks died when I was little, and I moved in with my aunt and uncle."

"Still live with them?" Tony wondered. "I hear the rent's high in the city."

"No, I live on my own." Peter winced. "But you are right about the rent."

"College?"

"Yep--graduated."

"And you like science."

"Oh, love it," Peter grinned.

"I can tell. You're a genius," Tony stuffed his hands in his pockets. Peter's eyes widened.

"Wow. Gee, that means a lot coming from _you_."

"Well, I'm not blind. You can run circles around me as far as this genetic stuff goes," Tony admitted. "And I'm certainly not the only genius in the world. There might be...oh, three or four others. If you include a couple dead guys."

Parker laughed and shook his head.

"So how do you like it here with all these mutants?" Tony inquired. "I mean, you said you weren't born a mutant, and these other guys were, so they're probably different than what you're used to."

"Sure," Peter's brow furrowed. "I went to public school, and I'm not a runaway--I had a great relationship with my aunt and uncle, and haven't told anybody but my girlfriend and Harry who I actually am. So yeah, it's different. But I like them. They helped me."

"Who'd you meet first, after Fury?"

"Logan."

Tony snorted.

"Me, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he came and got me and Pepper."

"Huh."

Tony kicked a rock.

"It's strange--_I _personally wouldn't put him in charge of the welcoming committee. He's...abrasive and impolite and pushy and--"

Peter grinned.

"Yep. That's why I trust him."

Tony glanced at him. Though Peter's eyes were still bright, he meant what he said. Tony swallowed, forced to consider that.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he confessed uncomfortably. "I probably wouldn't have gone along with a smooth-talker. I would have been waiting for him to try and sell me a used car or a condo in Alaska." He shrugged. "And then I would have blown up."

Someone's cell phone rang. Tony's hand flew to his pocket, but Peter pulled his phone out. He checked the number and smiled.

"It's my girlfriend," he said, looking up briefly. "She worries about me."

"Needlessly, I'm sure," Tony said wryly.

"Right." Peter's smile hadn't faded. "'scuse me."

"Sure."

Peter flipped open his phone and stepped away.

"Hi, MJ," he said fondly, a different tone entering his voice. "How are you?"

Tony's jaw tightened. Pepper was right. A person _could _see it in a guy's face and hear it in his voice.

_Crap_.

Ramming his hands down into his pockets, he wandered farther down the trail, toward the sound of young voices.

VVVVVVV

"You're not standing right, Pepper."

"Well, I'm having a bit of difficulty, here."

"What now?"

"He's a little...short." She smiled down at her partner. "Sorry, sweetie."

The ten-year-old boy grinned at her.

"That's okay. You're doing good."

"She's not doing good," Logan growled. "You're being too gentle with the wrist grab." He tried to readjust her grip on the kid's arm. "Your enemy will think you're trying to dance with him instead of take him out."

The boy giggled. Pepper's blush intensified. She was pretty sure she hadn't stopped blushing since class started. Logan met her eyes.

"Are you afraid of hurting him?"

Pepper glanced uncertainly between the boy and Logan.

"Um..."

"You're afraid of hurting him," Logan said flatly, slightly exasperated. "Okay..." His eyes swept over the sunlit lawn, and all the children paired up who were practicing pressure point fighting. None of them were over five feet tall.

"Stark!" he yelled. Pepper froze, unable to even turn her head.

"Oh, no," she gritted, her eyes widening.

"What?" came the distant answer.

"Come here. Pepper needs help."

"With what?" Tony called back.

Pepper snapped back to herself and turned to plead with Logan.

"No, no, Logan," she tried, almost grabbing his arm. "Don't, I can...I'm fine, I..."

"She needs somebody to beat up," Logan's bear-like voice rang over the field. Pepper closed her eyes, a feeling of doom descending on her.

"Okay."

Wait. Had Tony said "okay"?

Pepper whirled around to see Tony, wearing the jeans and gray t-shirt he usually wore to work in, jogging across the grass and up to them.

"Okay, Tin Man," Logan slapped Tony's shoulder and maneuvered him to stand in front of Pepper.

"_Tin _Man?" Tony cried, staring at him. "What--"

"She's already been taught the grabs," Logan explained, talking over him. "There are pressure points here, here, here and here that we're practicing." As he spoke, Logan at jabbed Tony's neck just beneath his ear, the top of his shoulder, the base of his throat, then grabbed his wrist and bent it. Pepper watched Tony's eyes flash and his jaw clench, and on the last one he jerked.

"She is to push until it _hurts_," Logan arched an eyebrow at her. "Not until it _injures _you, but not so light that you can't _feel _it." He leaned toward her pointedly. "_Fighting_. Not _dancing_."

Logan turned and headed to another pair that was having trouble--one had put the other into a headlock. Pepper turned back to Tony. He wore a small smile.

"I'm ready, Miss Potts."

She cocked her own eyebrow, attempting to be saucy.

"You think I'm going to go easy on you?"

"Probably," he replied easily. "Of course, it won't be on purpose--you'll try really hard to hurt me, but I don't think you have it in you to--_ow!"_

Pepper's fingers pushed down sharply on the top of his shoulder, directly on his pressure point.

"Okay, that was a fluke," he grunted, squeezing one eye shut. "Next time you won't--_ow, ow, ow!"_

She took his hand and bent his wrist to a forty-five degree angle, then let it go.

"Wolverine taught you all this already?" Tony rubbed his wrist.

"I'm a fast learner."

"Really."

"Yes."

"Well, you're still wrong about some things, like--ouch!" He winced as she twisted his other wrist.

"Wrong about what?"

"About when a guy likes a girl." He rubbed his other wrist.

"Really?"

"Yep. You can't see anything on his face unless he lets you."

"You think so?"

"I'm positive. I..._ugh._ I...oh, I don't like that one." Tony choked as she pressed her fingers down against the base of his throat.

"You're not supposed to," she countered. "And it could be worse. I could separate your collar bones from your sternum."

"That would be bad."

"So you think I'm wrong?"

"Definitely wrong." Tony nodded. His brow furrowed. "Isn't there one more?"

"Oh, right." Pepper's hand fluttered up toward his neck, and then her throat closed. She hesitated.

"Go ahead," Tony urged, grabbing her hand and pushing the tips of her fingers up against this skin. "Right there--it's right under my ear."

"No," Pepper said firmly, flattening her fingers harmlessly out against his neck.

"Why?"

She gazed up into his eyes. His grip on her hand gentled. She felt him watching her carefully.

"Because that one actually scares me a little bit," she admitted. "Logan said to be careful with that one. He said if you don't know what you're doing, it could kill the person."

Tony smiled, just faintly, but it made his eyes sparkle softly.

"And you don't want that, Miss Potts?" he asked quietly.

Her thumb strayed absently over his cheek. She shook her head minutely.

"No, I don't."

"Mr. Stark!"

Tony let go of her hand and turned. Pepper's heart pounded. She made herself look to see Peter Parker standing across the lawn.

"What is it, Pete?" Tony called. Peter grinned and waved.

"Come inside! I think I figured something out!"

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry for the delay--I went on vacation for five days. It nearly killed me not being able to update! :) But here it is, as quickly as I could do it and not sacrifice quality--hopefully. ;) Enjoy!!_

CHAPTER SEVEN

"What would I do without MJ?" Peter sighed, shaking his head and walking so fast that Tony could hardly keep up with him.

"Um, I thought this had to do with the emitters..." Tony was confused, glancing around to make sure they were walking down the correct metal hallway. Nope--he was lost.

"It does!" Peter insisted, turning around and walking backwards, gesturing animatedly.

"See, you and I are scientists, so we think that way--we always consider and analyze things from a more complicated perspective."

"I suppose so," Tony went along with it as Peter turned back around and headed down another hallway to their left.

"I was talking to MJ on the phone, and I told her what had happened--and she started asking me Mom questions."

"Mom questions?" Tony's brow furrowed.

"Yeah," Peter nodded swiftly, pushing open a door. Tony started, his footsteps faltering on the threshold. Somehow, maneuvering through a different labyrinth, they had still wound up in their work room. Shaking himself, he tried to refocus as Parker kept speaking.

"Questions like, 'Did it hurt?' 'Did it make you dizzy?' 'Were you sick?' 'Why did you fall--were you disoriented?'" Peter turned toward him again and snapped his fingers. "That's when it hit me: the emitters target the_ sensitivities_ caused by the mutant X gene--they don't target the genes or cells themselves."

"What kind of sensitivities?" Tony pressed. "As you enjoy reminding me, I'm not a mutant."

"Usually, mutants have some common abilities, such as super-hearing, and super-sensory perceptions, like my Spider-Sense, which lets me know if something's going to hit me or if someone's coming." Peter let his breath out in a rush. "What if we don't need to examine the DNA? We know Night Prince is using something very similar to your emitter--what if he's just readjusted and intensified the frequency to exploit the mutant sensitivities?"

"Well, that would make my job a lot easier," Tony confessed.

"That's the first good news I've heard so far."

Tony turned at the sound of Wolverine's deep tones. The muscled man strode toward them, his piercing gaze flicking between the two scientists. He put his hands on his hips and came over to stand by Peter.

"So it's a bit more generic than you thought, huh Pete?"

"Well, it could be, anyway," Peter admitted.

"Sounds right to me," Tony confirmed. "I don't know why I didn't think of it."

"Because you're not a mutant," Peter said wryly.

"So what would you guys do about it?" Wolverine wondered.

"Well, I invented ear pieces that made the user immune to the effects of my emitter," Tony explained, running his hand through his hair. "If I rebuilt the ear pieces with those sensitivities in mind..."

"Then a mutant would at least not die if Night Prince used it on them," Wolverine finished.

"Right," Tony muttered. "Theoretically." Then he made a face. "So I guess this means no more self-defense lessons in the nice, warm sunshine and fresh air."

Wolverine smirked, then rubbed his mouth with his hand to hide it.

"Well, sure," Peter said with mock-lightness, glancing over at the computers. "If you feel like that, I'm sure I can take it from here. It'll probably take a lot longer, but--"

"Logan, come upstairs to the teacher's lounge immediately."

The three recognized Storm's strained voice over a hidden intercom system. Wolverine's hands dropped to his sides, and a hunted look entered his eyes.

"Not good," he murmured, then took off toward the door at a trot. Tony glanced at Peter, to see him staring after Wolverine with tightened brow and intensified gaze. His jaw tensing, Peter followed. Hesitating just a moment, Tony fell in right behind him, and the three men noisily hurried to the upper level.

VVVVVVVVVV

"What is it? What's wrong?" Wolverine demanded as the trio stormed into the wooden-walled, plush teacher's lounge. Only two people stood inside: Storm, her arms folded tightly around herself; and a large, broad-shouldered being with long, blue hair covering his whole body, and an even more animal-like visage than Wolverine's. Tony had met him earlier--his name was Beast. Neither of them were moving. And this caused the three newcomers to halt instantly, and grow very still, but Tony's heart rate instantly accelerated.

Then, when Storm looked up at them, her eyes filled with tears--his heart stopped.

"What happened?" Tony asked, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"We've just gotten word," Storm said shakily. "Iceman..._Bobby_...has been killed."

"Bobby?" Tony repeated, suddenly drowning in ignorance. "Who..."

"A very talented man," Beast rumbled, staring at the empty fireplace, his strange eyes unfocused. "One of the best and brightest and youngest of the X-Men."

"How?" Peter asked, his tone hollow.

"He confronted Night Prince himself," Storm whispered, a tear falling.

Wolverine's eyes widened.

"What? _Why?" _he demanded. "He knew the man could kill him--Why didn't he tell anyone where he was going?"

"He may have told Marie," Beast ventured quietly.

"No," Wolverine shook his head vehemently. "She said they just broke up and he left to go see more of the country." Wolverine's voice lowered. "He didn't tell her he was going to go get himself killed."

Tony felt sick. He looked over at Peter. The kid was pale, and he was staring at the rug. Wolverine took a shuddering breath.

"Where's Marie?"

Nobody answered. The room fell silent. Then, a distant wail soared through the upstairs corridor. Wolverine didn't pause a moment. His face twisting, he turned and darted out of the room, and Tony could hear his footsteps pounding against the stairs.

Tony took a deep breath, trying to loosen the muscles around his chest. It didn't work. He lifted his head.

"Let's go get this thing done, okay Pete?" he proposed weakly, a pang traveling down through his gut. Peter met his eyes and swallowed. Wordlessly, he nodded. Tony turned and left the room, heading to the elevator, hearing Peter's footsteps behind him. Marie's screams still rang through the halls. Tony's jaw tightened as his resolve hardened. Swiftly, with Parker beside him, he descended to the workroom again.

And he wasn't coming up until he had made those blasted ear pieces.

VVVVVVVVV

"Go upstairs."

"No."

"I'm serious. You'll give yourself a migraine."

Tony sighed wearily, pain already thudding through his temples. He squeezed his right eye shut, because that seemed to help somewhat, and looked over at Peter. He appeared just as haggard. They had worked all through the night and through the following morning with very few breaks, and Tony had not ventured above this lower level for anything.

"I'll keep working, I promise," Peter assured him.

"That's not fair." Tony stretched his aching neck. "I'm not taking a break while you sit down here in this pit."

"Then I'll take a break when you come back," Peter pulled himself closer to the computer console. Tony got to his feet, wincing at his stiff muscles. He tried to flex his shoulders, which just made them ache. He sighed, moved to leave, then turned back and grabbed the back of his chair.

"No, you're not talking me into this," he mumbled. "I need to work."

"Oh, be quiet. Go take a break or I'll have Wolverine come down here and haul you upstairs." Peter answered. He glanced up at Tony and gave a tired smile. "Go on, get out of here."

Tony smiled back, squeezed the kid's shoulder, and made his way to the elevator, trying not to think about how comfortable the metal floor looked.

VVVVVVVVVV

He was going to fall asleep on his feet. He couldn't do that--there was too much work to be done. He needed air.

Tony stumbled out onto a balcony, and was halfway refreshed by the bracing evening breeze that brushed through his hair and clothes. He took a deep breath of it, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them and stepping out onto the stone floor.

The balcony overlooked the side grounds--the broad lawn, pathways and lush gardens. The evening sky was pink, tinged with purple around the edges, and Tony thought he caught sight of a single star, far on the eastern horizon.

Quiet voices reached his ears. Halfheartedly, he searched for their sources below, leaning his elbows on the stone railing. Then his perceptions sharpened when he realized it was Wolverine and Rogue--Marie.

They were walking side by side away from the mansion in the softening light, Wolverine striding slowly, patiently beside his companion, who was still burdened with crutches. Wolverine, his hands in his pockets and wearing his leather jacket again, watched her carefully, protectively. She kept her head facing forward, except to glance at him occasionally. Tony could not hear what they were saying, but it merely seemed to be small talk, and the purpose of their stroll appeared merely to give comfort. And the comfort was mutual.

The two gradually approached a wooden bench, and Wolverine seated himself easily. He then took Marie's crutches from her and leaned them against the arm-rest, then helped her ease down onto the bench beside him. In the same movement, as if it were natural, Marie settled close to him, resting her head against his chest, and he wrapped his arm strongly around her, laying his head on top of hers.

Tony's throat tightened with guilt. Pepper was right. She had seen Wolverine in the correct light--he wasn't an abrasive, uncultured monster, nor was he someone Tony needed to treat with suspicion or jealousy. He cared for this young woman. Just as Tony cared for Pepper.

Tony backed away from the railing to head back downstairs, vowing to try to treat Wolverine--Logan--better than he had been.

VVVVVVV

"Peter Parker--we are geniuses." Tony slapped Peter's arm as he leaned back in his chair. Peter grinned and held up the small, glowing earpiece. He rubbed his eyes.

"Gosh, I've been staring at a screen so long I can hardly see it!" Peter laughed.

"Sure sign that you've done enough," Tony grinned, taking it from him. "Two pair in four days--not bad, kid. Not bad." He set the delicate piece of equipment down next to the other three ear pieces on the metal counter top. He dragged both hands down his face.

"I don't remember what it feels like to sleep," he groaned.

"Didn't you sleep last night?" Peter wondered, stiffly rising to his feet.

"If you call that sleeping," Tony yawned, leaning his elbows down onto his knees. "Sitting against a wall while waiting for a mold to cool isn't exactly like a bed at the Ritz."

"Nope," Peter chuckled raggedly. "Well, we can both rest now."

"Yeah, the floor looks nice..." Tony muttered.

"No, no," Peter grabbed his arm and helped him up. "You get to sleep in your own room tonight."

"My own room?" Tony's brow furrowed as he glanced blearily at the younger man. "Have I even seen it yet?"

Both men laughed, though every muscle ached, and headed upstairs.

VVVVVVVVVV

Peter Parker woke to a soft tapping against his door. Moaning, he got up, dragged himself to the door of his room and opened it.

"Hi, Logan," he said hoarsely, squinting against the light of the hallway. "What's up?"

Logan stood in his pajama pants and a long, green bathrobe. He looked completely alert. How was that possible? Peter glanced over at his digital clock. It was one in the morning.

"We've got a visitor," Logan said restlessly. "Get yourself awake and come downstairs."

"Who is it?" Peter swiped at his face.

"Fury."

Peter blinked, then stared at Logan for a second.

"What does he want?"

Logan shrugged tensely.

"Don't know yet. Hurry up."

"I'll get Tony. He's just down the hall."

"No."

Peter stopped.

"Why?"

"Nick said not to."

Peter's chest tightened.

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Me either," Logan admitted. "Come on."

VVVVVVVV

Wolverine kept his arms folded across his chest. He didn't say anything to Fury in greeting. Frankly, he didn't trust him. He settled into the background shadows, willing to let Peter do most of the talking.

They stood in the vast, cave-like, dimly-lit hangar where the jet was kept, Nick Fury, standing ten feet across from them, wore a long black coat, arms straight down at his sides, his stance slightly spread. Wolverine eyed the man's scarred face and eye patch. Fury looked back and forth between Wolverine and Spiderman.

"We have to move now."

"What? Has something else happened?" Parker asked, brow furrowing.

Fury nodded.

"Edmund Vicar has completed a business transaction," Fury said quietly, deliberately. "Dr. Doom and Wilson Fisk have bought several of Vicar's emitters."

"Wilson Fisk?" Wolverine repeated. Peter glanced at him.

"The papers call him the Kingpin."

"Great," Wolverine muttered.

"The emitters are being transported to these billionaires tonight," Fury continued, watching both men closely with his one eye. "They leave from the old Oscorp Industries building at 2:30 this morning."

"How did you find that out?" Peter wondered. Fury hesitated a moment.

"Iceman found it out."

Wolverine felt a sickening shiver slide down through his stomach. Parker looked confused.

"How did he know to--"

"I asked him to go," Fury sighed. "The security devices at the warehouse are triggered by heat sensors. He was able to regulate his temperature so that it didn't appear that he'd entered the room."

"Didn't work, huh?" Wolverine tried to bark, but his throat felt choked.

"It did work, actually," Fury snapped back. "He just wasn't counting on Night Prince walking in on him while he was snooping around in the computer lab."

"Then how did he get out?" Parker wanted to know.

"The moment he was hit by the emitter, he coated himself in ice. It managed to dull the effects enough to give him time to escape. But he was dead when I found him." Fury said heavily. "He'd downloaded the information onto a flash drive so I could retrieve it."

Silence hung in the air for a long moment. Wolverine's shoulders tightened. He couldn't speak.

"Was Tony Stark able to find something to counter these emitters?" Fury asked Wolverine. Wolverine just stared at him, saying nothing.

"Yeah, we think so," Peter answered for him. "A version of the ear pieces that block his paralyzing emitter."

"Will they work?" Fury pressed.

"I.--" Peter shrugged.

"Well, they need to," Fury said decisively. "I want you two guys to go destroy those shipments."

Peter slowly turned his head and looked at Wolverine, apprehension tightening the edges of his eyes. Wolverine met Fury's gaze.

"What about the Tin Man?"

"I've seen his suit," Fury crossed his arms over his own chest. "It's still in pieces. And without it, he's helpless."

Wolverine snorted, but decided not to dignify that flawed statement with a comment. It was clear Fury had made up his mind.

"All right. I'll go get the ear pieces and my suit," Peter announced bravely, and turned to walk back to the door. Wolverine followed him, watching the young man lose all his color. Any doubts about his going along instantly vanished. He strode up beside Peter and put an arm around his shoulder as they walked.

"Don't worry, kid. I'll look out for you. I promise," he assured him earnestly, putting his hand up to the back of Peter's head. "I won't let you get hit by that stupid thing again so you have to spend another three days in traction."

Peter glanced at him, utterly grave and grimly frightened.

"And I promise to jump in front of you so you won't wind up dead," he whispered. Logan's throat tightened, and he kept his arm around the younger man as they headed toward the room where their suits were kept.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

_Here you are, as quick as I could get it done. :) Make sure to let me know what you think! _

CHAPTER EIGHT

Pepper couldn't sleep. Again. She had tried, and though she kept reminding herself that the bed she was sleeping in was infinitely more comfortable than being scrunched up in the cab of a stinky pickup, nothing helped. Finally, at 2:30 in the morning, she sighed in frustration, threw off the covers and got up. Straightening the nightgown Storm had loaned her, Pepper crossed the wooden floor in her bare feet, opened a wardrobe and pulled out a long dressing gown. Maybe a walk through the halls to the library would help settle her nerves.

Her door creaked softly as she opened it, and she whispered out into the hall, trying to tread softly. Wrapping her arms around herself, she started quietly out into the main corridor.

She was one of the few people rooming on the main floor. Most were upstairs, where the bedrooms were like dormitories. The wood was cold against the skin of her feet, and the silence of the vast old house unsettled her.

She stopped. A faint noise reached her--it sounded almost like papers rustling. Frowning, she edged forward until she reached the end of the hall, then leaned slowly through the doorway of a small sitting room.

The noise she had heard was the crackle of a small fire burning in the fireplace off to her left. Rogue sat on a couch in front of it, staring distnatly into the flames, wrapped in a thick, dark flannel blanket. Her leg was propped up on a small footstool. The rest of the room was shrouded in shadows, but Pepper could see several shelves lined with books against the walls, and the ghostly outline of a desk in the far corner. Pepper bit her lip and moved to withdraw.

Rogue caught sight of the movement. She lifted her eyes, which shone in the firelight, and gave a smile.

"Hi, Pepper."

"Hi," Pepper answered the friendly greeting, caught off guard. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding," Marie told her. "You couldn't sleep either?"

Pepper shook her head, keeping her smile.

"No. I'm afraid the strange bed isn't agreeing with me."

"I know how that is." Marie nodded toward the space beside her. "You can come sit down if you want."

Pepper considered a moment.

"All right--if you're sure I'm not bothering you."

"No, it's okay," Marie assured her. Pepper entered, maneuvered around Marie's footstool, and eased down into the plush leather couch. For a moment neither of them said anything. Pepper watched Marie absent-mindedly fingering the ragged hem of the blanket.

"That blanket looks soft," Pepper commented, feeling a corner of it. A smile flickered at the edges of Marie's mouth.

"Yeah, I was sitting here a long time already when Logan came down and thought I looked cold." Marie tucked it up farther around her neck. "I wasn't really, but when he said he was going out, I asked for his blanket, and he brought it for me and wrapped me up." Her voice grew fainter. "It makes me feel better. It smells like him."

Pepper's throat constricted and she glanced down.

"I heard about...your friend, Bobby," Pepper murmured. "I'm very sorry."

Rogue's jaw muscles worked and her eyes narrowed as she gazed at the flames.

"So am I."

They fell silent, Pepper not really knowing what to say. Marie took a breath.

"I couldn't have stopped him, though, you know," she whispered. Pepper's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

Rogue glanced at her.

"He'd been wanting to do his own thing for quite a while, now. He was getting really impatient with me...tired of waiting."

"I'm sorry, I..." Pepper searched her face. "I don't understand."

Rogue sighed deeply.

"When I touch people with my bare skin, I take their power and their life," she said slowly. She met Pepper's eyes, a strange pain behind her glance. "Logan wasn't kidding when he said that he and I take turns almost killing each other."

"Oh," was all Pepper could think of. Marie nodded.

"It's kinda hard to have any kind of relationship with anyone without ever touching him."

Pepper filled with sympathy, but suddenly fought the urge to scoot away from the young woman. Instead, she forced herself to settle farther down into the cushions. She sensed that Marie wanted to talk--that she was lonesome here alone, and Pepper wasn't about to hurt her further.

Unexpectedly, Rogue let out a soft, ironic laugh.

"But you know what was weird," she murmured, her smile twisting. "Bobby knew it before I did. I argued with him and cried and screamed but he was right." She bit her lip. Pepper fell silent and waited.

"I didn't love him."

Pepper blinked, startled.

"We'd been dating for years, and instead of my feelings growing toward him, they just...faded." Marie took a breath that shook slightly. "I don't know why." Her brow furrowed and her stare into the flames intensified. Silence reigned, but Pepper felt it was a silence that begged to be broken. Taking a deep breath, she risked it.

"Is it Logan?"

Marie looked at her sharply, but her gaze was open.

"What about Logan?"

"Well, I just...I know that he cares for you very much," Pepper ventured, desperately hoping she wasn't violating any boundaries. "And I know you care for him."

Marie looked away suddenly, back to the fire, trouble tensing her fair brow.

"I...don't know, I..." She swallowed hard, and instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around herself. Pepper glanced away, chuckling, attempting to break the solemnity.

"I know there's a bit of an age difference, but it's not unheard of."

Pepper felt Marie's eyes on her, and when she looked over, the younger woman appeared to be waiting for elaboration. Pepper cleared her throat.

"Well, haven't you...haven't you ever read Jane Austen's _Emma?"_

Marie suddenly smiled.

"No, I've just read _Pride and Prejudice_."

"That's a good one, too," Pepper concurred brightly, relieved. "Do you know what _Emma_'s about?"

"Not really," Marie shook her head, and adjusted so that she reminded Pepper very much of a girl settling in for a story.

"I won't tell you the whole thing," Pepper hedged. "But the main character, Emma, is only twenty-one, and her dearest friend Mr. Knightley--the finest gentleman you could find--is thirty-seven, and they...Well, I won't ruin the ending for you."

Marie grinned.

"And I know Logan is certainly no Mr. Knightley," Pepper shrugged, grinning. "But..." She trailed off as Marie's smile faded, her eyes completely serious.

"Yeah," she murmured, as if something had become clear.

"Rogue?"

The two women turned to see a boy standing in the doorway, his hair mussed, the firelight glinting off his glasses.

"What's the matter, honey?" Marie wondered, shifting.

"I was watching the TV and saw something on the news," the boy said gravely. "I think you should come look."

Marie's eyes flashed, and Pepper's gut tightened. Pepper stood, then grabbed Marie's crutches, which stood behind the couch. Marie reluctantly relinquished Logan's blanket in favor of taking hold of the crutches, and with Pepper watching her guardingly, the three traipsed out into the hall. The boy trotted on ahead of them and then dodged into a larger room to their right.

"Quick!" he urged. "You'll miss it."

Pepper and Marie walked faster, and soon entered the TV room. Pepper squinted against the harsh glare of the big screen--and then the sight displayed there froze her to the floor.

It was an aerial shot of a burning building, and one cargo truck was overturned in the middle of the street. Dimly, Pepper heard the news anchor speaking crisply.

"We don't know as yet what exactly caused the fire or the wreck, but it is certain that this truck--the last in a convoy of six--belonged to Edmund Vicar, the new owner of Oscorp Industries."

"Night Prince," Rogue whispered. Pepper stiffened.

"What?" she gasped.

"Shh!" the boy slashed a hand through the air. Pepper bit down on the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to listen.

"There have also been reports that both Spiderman and Wolverine, infamous mutants and New York vigilantes, were spotted entering the burning building here on Pearl Street, but as of right now, no one has seen them come out."

Pepper watched Marie's visage fill with horror, knowing that her own face was a mirror image.

"Logan," Marie rasped.

"_Tony!_" Pepper cried out, her voice ringing against the hard walls as she turned and raced into the hall, heading for the stairs. "Tony _wake up!_"

VVVVVV

Pepper's cries sheared through Tony's nerves, yanking him out of the first deep sleep he'd had in days and sending him leaping to his feet. He was suddenly consumed by dizziness, all the blood rushing out of his head, but he stumbled to the door, found it and yanked it open. As his vision cleared, he stepped out into the hall--only to have Pepper barrel right into him and nearly knock him over.

He grabbed her, managing to keep them both standing, but she clutched at his night shirt, her eyes wild.

"Tony! You've got to get your suit together! You have to--"

"Pepper, calm down. Tell me what happened," Tony spoke deliberately, keeping his arms around her. She visibly made herself take a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When she spoke next, her voice was lower, forcibly even.

"Logan and Pete went downtown after one of Night Prince's trucks."

Tony's grip on her shoulders tightened as he stared at her.

"What?"

She nodded swiftly.

"They went into a burning building and they haven't come out." Her brow knotted. "Marie's terrified--she thinks that--"

Tony let her go and ran past her, flying down the stairs.

"Tony--"

"Come with me!" he instructed. He caught sight of Rogue, standing paralyzed, propped up on her crutches. He pointed at her. "You, too! I need all the hands I can get."

VVVVVV

"Faster, Jarvis."

"I cannot, sir."

"Why _not?"_

"Because you didn't bring the other units," Jarvis answered coolly. "It's as if I've lost two of my arms."

Tony moaned in painful frustration, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. He stood in the middle of his workshop, both his legs locked inside his shining Iron suit. Rogue had managed to secure his gauntlets, and Pepper was working feverishly on the plates for his back as the two small robotic units, hooked up to Jarvis, tightened the minute screws in his knees and elbows. But they couldn't work quickly enough.

"Okay, I'm confused here," Pepper confessed. Tony tried to twist around to see her but he couldn't.

"What?"

"There's this triangle-shaped piece with a hole in it and I can't tell where it goes."

"It goes beneath the angled deflector, Miss," Jarvis tried to be helpful.

"Um..."

"The angled deflector looks like a shoulder blade," Tony grunted. "Just to the top left, right beneath it, there's a type of screw sticking out and if you put the piece on there, slide it on

through the hole, then twist it to the right, it'll tighten..." Tony braced himself for her to shove it on and twist it. He heard a very faint metallic noise, and felt a slight pressure.

"I can't--"

"You're going to have to push harder than that, Pepper," he interrupted. "Harder and faster."

"We're going as fast as we possibly can," Pepper answered tightly.

"Well, it needs to be faster."

"Listen, we've never done this before," Pepper snapped.

"It isn't as easy as it looks," Rogue murmured.

"I know exactly how it looks, okay?" Tony retorted. "And I've _done _it with my

bare hands!"

"Tony, be quiet!" Pepper clicked the piece in place with more than necessary force, shoving him forward.

"_Don't _do that!" Tony yelped, falling forward on his massive boot, its weight clanging on the floor. He could barely breathe, and he felt himself sweating. Poison seemed to be seeping through his veins. His throat tightened hard. There was no way this was going to work. He took an unsteady breath. "They're going to be dead by the time I get to them."

"Don't say that," Rogue gritted, her shivering hands withdrawing from his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Tony amended, craning his neck so he could see her. "We just have to--_ow! Pepper!"_

_"Tony!" _she lashed back.

"Is everything all right down here?" A mild, delicately-inflected voice issued from the hallway. Tony looked up to find its origins--and an angel stepped through the door.

The figure was a young man wearing loose black pants and no shirt. His physique was lean and perfect. He had golden hair, sapphire eyes and a cultured, flawless, solemn face. Attached to his back, arched as if ready to spring into magnificent motion, were two pearl-white, feathery wings, the span of which had to be fifteen feet when they were spread to their glorious length.

Pepper and Tony fell completely still, awestruck. Rogue turned and set her screwdriver on a table.

"Hi, Angel."

Tony's gaze quickly flicked back and forth between Rogue and the newcomer. She seemed to be used to the sight of this luminous being. But as Tony watched him closer, he realized that the "angel" was indeed flesh and blood.

Angel glanced quickly over all of them, his youthful visage open, and then his brow furrowed.

"I heard about Logan and Peter." He paused a moment. "Do you need help?"

"Actually," Tony cleared his throat, trying to shake his disbelief. "It's funny...but I was just asking the Man upstairs for an extra set of hands and another set of wings." He grinned

ruefully. "Maybe I should do that more often."

Angel nodded seriously in agreement. He stepped closer, his wings fluttering.

"Show me what I need to do."

VVVVVVVVV

"How're we doing, Jarvis?" Tony asked, his voice reverberating within his thick helmet.

"Very well, sir. I have the course mapped out for you."

Tony now hovered, standing vertically, about two-hundred feet above the mansion, the darkened forest spread out behind him, and an infinity of stars stretched out above him. His chest piece glowed brightly, and his stabilizers hummed steadily.

"I approve of the addition of the back and side stabilizers to this new suit," Jarvis commented.

"We're going to need them tonight," Tony muttered. He glanced to his left. Angel swooped over the moon, his spirit-like form maintaining continuous motion but staying nearby.

"I'm going to go considerably faster than you can, I would guess," Tony said, speaking into a radio. Angel glanced his way, hawk-like, securing his earpiece and microphone. He stalled his flight, flapping his massive wings rapidly.

"Understood," came the calm voice in reply.

"The emitters Night Prince is using are instantly deadly to mutants," Tony spoke severely. "So I don't want you coming _anywhere _near me until I say so, is that clear?"

"Perfectly."

"One more thing."

"Yes?"

"Can you carry a person?"

Angel met his eyes, and even across the darkness and distance, Tony could see his anxiety.

"Yes, I can."

"Good," Tony clipped, tightening his jaw. "See you in a bit." With that, he leaned forward, splayed his hands out to his side and said: "Let's go, Jarvis." His thrusters fired with a loud, satisfying punch, and he shot off toward the horizon.

VVVVVVVVV

Tony had to admit it--though Pepper, Rogue and Angel had been slow, they had put him together right. Not a piece felt out of place, not one bit of armor rattled. He swooped toward the distant lights of the city, his suit vibrating solidly like a BMW on a winding road.

He twisted his wrists just slightly and ascended, desiring to get the highest view of the city possible. He crossed the bit of black ocean in no time at all, and soon swooped over the brilliant lights of Manhattan Island.

"The police scanners say that the fire has been put out, but the building is structurally unsound," Jarvis informed him.

"Okay, we'll land on the roof of the neighboring building and check it out," Tony decided. The traffic flashing by beneath him, Tony spotted the Brooklyn Bridge. His targeting sensors zoomed in, pointing out the smoldering building near the docks. Narrowing his eyes, Tony bit down and swung in a sharp arch, feeling the g-force tug against his body. With a trained eye, he swiftly caught sight of a flat rooftop near the ruined building and headed for it.

He gave altitude, hovering above the roof, remembering not to let himself down too suddenly.

"Easy, Jarvis," he cautioned tensely. "Don't want to go plummeting through the ceiling."

"Yes, sir."

With a massive _clunk_, he touched down on the roof, near an exhaust vent. He turned toward the street below and the hulking ruin across, his gears humming. He was going to have to go in there. He set his jaw. He would just have to be very careful. Though _he _might survive a building falling on him, even Wolverine and Spiderman would not.

A massive _boom _slapped through the air, and something thudded between his shoulder blades with wicked force. It knocked him forward about half an inch. He turned, lowering, his helmed head, raising his arms just slightly to the sides, readying them.

A man stood there, aiming a handgun at him. The man's eyes widened, and he fired again, three more times, directly at Tony's head. Tony lowered his chin more, letting his forehead take the brunt of it. The bullets _pinged _off of him like marbles against rock, whizzing off into the night. Tony took a heavy, clanking step toward him.

"Enough, Silas."

The shaking, wide-eyed gunner slowly lowered his arm. Tony lifted his head.

Someone was sitting, perched atop a very tall pile of cement bricks, his legs dangling casually over the side. Though the night was deep, Tony could see him in the glow of the city lights. He was a young man--ethereally handsome, with straight, black hair that hung down against the collar of his black shirt. He had defined, angular eyebrows, a pale, aquiline face and a hard mouth. His black eyes pierced the distance between them. He wore an ebony dress riding cloak that reminded Tony of movies set in the 1800's, black pants and dress shoes. Black leather gauntlets covered his hands, and Tony also noticed that he wore a beautiful, silver-handled rapier.

"You may go downstairs, Silas. I'll be right there," the young man instructed, his eyes never leaving Tony. Without a word, Silas turned, opened the door to the stairs and descended. Tony straightened, unsettled. The fact that the thug didn't even ask "are you sure, boss?" probably meant that this young man could handle himself. Tony would have to be careful.

When the door shut, a small smile crossed the youth's mouth.

"Hello, Tony Stark. How do you like my take on your emitter?"

"Jarvis?" Tony muttered.

"I've been shielding you from it, sir," came the reply. "It's a high-pitched sound issuing from the hilt of his sword."

"Then it won't hurt me, will it?"

"No, sir. He is not wearing any ear pieces."

"Okay, let me talk to him."

"Yes, sir."

Tony took a breath, addressing the young man.

"So you're Edmund Vicar," Tony said flatly, his suit making his voice deep and metallic.

The stranger laughed and shook his head.

"No, not at this hour." He scooted forward and jumped off the pile, landing on his feet with a soft, easy thump. He glanced over at his sword and pushed a nearly-invisible button.

"The emitter is off, sir," Jarvis told Tony. Edmund lifted his eyes again, slicing into Tony.

"When the sun goes down, I am Night Prince."

"Pretty fancy name for a petty mercenary," Tony commented.

Edmund raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" He took three nonchalant steps toward him. "And I suppose you're the authority on too-extravagant nick-names, eh Iron Man?"

"I didn't pick it," Tony countered. "The papers did."

Night Prince chuckled and shrugged.

"Me, too," he gestured noncommittally. "It's remarkable--that Jonah Jameson is quite a creative individual."

"So are you, it sounds like," Tony replied, trying to keep him talking.

"Yes, well," Night Prince smiled crookedly. "We all have our talents." He took another step toward Tony, folding his arms across his chest. "Which is why I've been waiting to visit with you, actually."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yes, but not now," Night Prince glanced up at the moon. "I have another engagement." He let out a breath. "Come by the old Oscorp mansion any time you want to talk. I'll be waiting for you." He said pointedly. He turned and headed toward the door. Then he snapped his fingers and turned back around, as if struck by an afterthought. "Oh, I saved those mutants for you," he said, as if speaking about leftover food. "They're in the dead-end street behind this building. I hid them in the trash so no one would bother them."

Fury blared across Tony's eyes, turning his vision scarlet. Night Prince grinned amiably.

"But I'll be expecting a thank you visit. And you can tell those guys that they really irritated me by blowing up my truck. So if I see them again, they're dead." He waved once. "Goodnight, Tony Stark."

With that, he opened the door and disappeared. Tony stayed motionless for a good two minutes, until he simply could not restrain himself anymore.

"Jarvis," Tony's voice shook. "Get me Angel's frequency."

"Yes, sir. Here it is."

"Angel?"

"Yes?"

"Where are you?"

"On top of the Verizon building, behind you."

Tony turned to gaze up at the towering white sky-scraper. He had to strain his neck, but at last, with Jarvis' help, he caught sight of the young man standing near the peak, his wings flared out behind him.

"Jarvis, is the air clear?"

"Yes, sir," Jarvis answered. "And if you'll notice here..." He gave him a sensory schematic of the block. "Night Prince and all others with him bearing a heat signature are now heading west in that black limousine."

"Wait a second, Angel."

"All right."

Tony held his breath, still not moving, as he watched the limousine fade into the distance. Then he spoke to Angel.

"Follow me."

"Will do."

Tony fired his thrusters again, burning a black mark into the roof, and lifted off. He eased forward, scanning the alleys nearby.

"There they are," he said through his teeth. He read two faint life signs down within a narrow gap between the buildings. Positioning himself over the dark chasm, he gently lowered himself down. The light from his eyes, his chest piece and his thrusters dimly illuminated the thirty-foot wide alley just enough for him to see the trashy floor.

He landed with a hiss, deactivating his thrusters, and quickly started toward the weakest life sign.

Loud flapping issued from above him, and Tony jerked his head up to see Angel's form descending almost on top of him. Angel's arms stretched out in front of him, running his hands down the brick wall. He landed heavily, his breathing labored, glancing around anxiously in this damp, small space.

"One of them is over here," Tony pointed, lifting his heavy hand. "The other is over there somewhere."

Angel nodded tightly, then bent and began rummaging through the cardboard boxes, paper bags and discarded plastic. Tony faced the opposite direction, stepped forward, then halted as he realized that a battered wooden desk was lying on top of one life signal.

His heartbeat thudding painfully against his sternum, Tony reached down, closed his metal fingers around the wooden legs and heaved the desk out of the way, hearing it crunch against the wall, and shoved at two boxes.

Wolverine lay beneath in a crucified position, arms splayed out, skin stretched over his arched ribcage. He was bleeding from more lacerations and bruises than Tony could count.

"Tony."

Tony turned at the sound of Angel's grave tone. The winged youth knelt beside an unconscious Peter Parker, who was laying on his stomach, his arms up beside his battered head, which had been stripped of its mask. Angel's wings settled, draping over his back, and he hesitantly reached out and put a hand on Peter's shoulder. Tony's chest constricted. The image suddenly reminded him of a memorial stained-glass window he had seen in a cathedral years ago--a shining picture of an angel bending sympathetically over a dead soldier. Tony shuddered.

Turning back to Logan, his throat choked as he threw off the cement blocks that pinned down Logan's hands.

"I've got to take Logan _now,_" Tony snapped, sliding his arms underneath the fallen man. Strange--he almost weighed nothing with this suit. Tony pulled him into a standing position, and held his limp body against him, his wounded back pressed to Tony's iron chest. He turned to Angel. "Can you handle him?"

Angel lifted a grimly horrified gaze to his, but nodded once. Tony watched as Angel bent down, took Parker in a lifeguard hold, and began laboriously flapping his wings. Making certain Angel had lifted off, Tony fired the thrusters on his feet, side and back, and shot upward, keeping tight hold of Logan.

He rose swiftly over the rooftops of New York, then leaned down and aimed toward the mansion.

"Jarvis, keep an eye on Angel for me, will you?" Tony asked, the pain in his chest not subsiding.

"Yes, sir. He has cleared the buildings and is following you."

"I'll head back to check on him if I get to the mansion before he does," Tony decided. Clamping his jaw, he jetted off over the sky-scrapers, watching helplessly as his sensors told him that both Peter and Logan were dying.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

_Thanks for the reviews! Keep letting me know what you think so that the chest piece doesn't run out of power! ;)_

VVVVVVVVVVV

CHAPTER NINE

The large, mostly dark ICU was silent--a hollow but heavy silence in which a person feels suffocated. The only noise was the soft beeping of the two separate heart monitors.

Pepper stood back against the wall still wearing her nightgown, a robe wrapped around her. She hid in the shadows, one arm crossed over her chest, the other propped up with her fingers brushing her mouth. Fifteen feet in front of her on a hospital bed, illumined in a halo of sterile light, lay the muscled form of Wolverine, covered in a white blanket from the waist down. His body was laced with wires and tubes. Lines of stitches marked the spaces between his knuckles, and thick bandages wrapped around his chest. A long laceration on the right side of his rugged face had also been stitched. Dark, ugly bruises on the backs of his hands showed the shredding damage that had been done inside during the exit and reentry of his wicked claws. Pepper bit her lip. He had not healed. In fact, in a few small places where it could not be stopped, he was still bleeding.

Rogue sat in a chair next to him, wearing her flowing violet pajamas, her crutches leaning against his bed. Her dark eyes, partly eclipsed by a strand of snow-white hair, drifted slowly over Logan's wounds. She looked beautiful, her soft, comely face tilted toward him. Her black, slender eyebrows drew together as her gaze fell upon his face and lingered there. Her lips parted as a silver tear fell down her cheek. She reached down, and with shaking hands, pulled off the long white glove on her left hand. Her graceful bare fingers wandered hesitantly up toward his head, then paused, hovering fearfully. She swallowed, then let her hand settle against his hair, just above his forehead. Her brow knotted and her mouth tightened.

"Logan," she choked softly. But she couldn't say more. She stroked his hair gently, but her fingers started to quiver. She withdrew, closing her hand into a fist. Her face twisted and she let out a strangled sob. Leaning down, she rested her head on the mattress next to his shoulder, pressing her knuckles against the bridge of her nose, teardrops sliding down her skin.

Pepper, shaken, glanced to her right. Peter Parker lay in a similar bed, also bandaged and unconscious. His young countenance looked peaceful, and too quiet. Pepper watched his chest barely rise and fall, his breathing shallow.

Tony stood at the foot of Peter's bed, his jeans and long-sleeved blue shirt stained with grease. His hair was mussed, hanging over his forehead. His troubled, black gaze surveyed Logan and Marie, who lay still. Tony's expression of pain sharpened as Marie tried to say Logan's name again. Slowly, Tony turned his head back, his eyes unfocusing. Pepper stared at Rogue, an ache jabbing down through her heart. What would it be like to care about someone that much and yet be terrified to touch him? Pepper's eyes were drawn back to Tony, standing alone, his arms hanging limply down at his sides.

Pepper felt her feet taking her to him. But when she neared his side, she hesitated, pulling her hands back to herself in uncertainty. What was she doing? Would he be okay with his assistant trying to comfort him?

_There's only one way to find out_. Biting back her fear, she stepped forward and slid her arms around him, wrapping her right around his lower back, and draping her left across his chest so her hand rested on his metal chest piece.

To her surprise, he reflexively closed his left arm around her, pulling her body to his side, and his hand covered hers on his chest. Pepper lay her head down against him, shutting her eyes, her brow tensing.

"This is my fault." His voice vibrated against her head. She raised her face, startled.

"No. No, it isn't," she insisted.

"Yes, it is." He took a shuddering breath, glancing back and forth between Logan and Peter. "Good men are lying here dying because I couldn't get my suit ready fast enough." He swallowed hard. "It's looking too familiar."

Pepper struggled for words.

"What do you mean?"

He glanced at the floor, the skin around his eyes tightening. She was so close to him, she could see every flicker of emotion that crossed his face.

"I didn't tell you much about my captivity, did I?"

Pepper shook her head minutely, her hair brushing his shoulder. He took an unsteady breath.

"A doctor named Yensen, also a prisoner, saved my life by putting a device on me that would keep shrapnel out of my heart. This thing is loosely based off of that." He tapped his chest piece with one finger, then closed his fingers around hers again. "He was a good man...a good friend." Tony swallowed. His voice became rocky. "I built a primitive suit to get us both out of there. But the terrorists discovered us when my suit was still powering up. Yensen...ran out into the cave...to buy me time." Tony's eyes shone. Pepper's grip on him tightened.

"The suit took another thirty seconds to get ready so that I could get out after him." He shrugged and sniffed. "I was too late."

Pepper fought back her own tears, knowing that he needed her to be strong.

"Well, I'm not giving up on these two yet," she said firmly. "I'm positive that they've been through worse."

Tony's gaze just faded again. Pepper took a deep breath, running out of words.

"Come here," she offered. Carefully, she turned him and slid her arms around his shoulders, resting her hand on the back of his head, silently asking if he would let himself come down to her. He resisted for a moment, his brow furrowing, then bent and wrapped her up in his strong arms, pressing his face into her neck. Pepper let out a long breath, folding into him. She just held him for a long time, trying to ignore the beeping of the heart monitors, Tony's chest piece pushing against her breastbone.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Tony sat back against the ICU wall, his eyes fixed on Peter's heart monitor. Pepper rested next to him, her legs tucked under her, his left hand held gently between both of hers. It had to be near dawn. But no sunlight would reach down here. Here, the Night Prince still reigned.

Tony shifted his shoulders and rubbed Pepper's fingers with his thumb. He turned his head toward her. Her pretty brow was still troubled, but she faced him and tried to smile.

"I bet you wish you hadn't come with me now, huh?"

She glanced down, laughing softly. He offered a feeble grin, but it died as his eyes traced her features. He swallowed.

"But I don't."

Her smile disappeared and she met his gaze. Her eyebrows came together.

"Thanks for coming, Pepper," he whispered. Her brow tightened farther as her eyes searched his.

"Tony, I--"

"Mr. Stark?"

They both looked up as Storm entered the room, casting her worried gaze over a sleeping Rogue, Logan and Peter.

"What is it?" Tony wondered, too tired to rise.

"There's a man outside who wishes to speak with you," Storm said with some earnestness. Tony frowned.

"Who is it?"

"Nick Fury. He wants to know how the mission went."

Tony stared at her, frozen.

"Mission?"

She nodded once, glancing at Logan again.

"He says he was the one who sent Pete and Logan out last night." Storm turned back to him. "And if I had to guess, he sent Bobby, too."

Tony went stiff, then flew to his feet.

"Tony--" Pepper gasped. He barely heard her. That scarlet rage was back, almost blinding him, and he stormed out into the hall, his heart hammering so hard it hurt.

A man stood there, his back to him, wearing a long leather jacket. The man turned, and Tony saw that it was indeed Nick Fury--he had the same hard face, the same eye patch.

"Tony Stark," he stated. "I--"

Tony didn't let him finish. He lunged forward and struck him hard with a closed fist, sending him crashing backward onto the floor.

"I might as well call you a murderer," Tony said savagely. He lashed out and grabbed Fury by the collar, yanking him up and snarling into his face. "You sent Bobby to his death and tried sending three more of us after him." He shook him hard. "_Whose side are you on, Fury?_"

It happened so fast Tony couldn't react. Nick twisted, whirled out of his grip and punched Tony in the jaw. Lights exploded across his vision as pain shot through his head and down his neck. He collapsed backward, his hips, elbows and head hammering against the metal.

_"Tony!_"

Pepper's cry slurred through his senses. He struggled to rise. He saw Pepper's bare feet race past him. She stepped in front of him and slapped Nick's face. The sharp blow resounded all down the hall. Nick grabbed her wrists. She yelped. He threw her forcefully away from him. Tony managed to climb to his feet fast enough to desperately catch her, pulling her tightly into his chest. Fury's one eye blazed. He advanced on them.

A hand suddenly settled on Tony's left shoulder and Pepper's right, and Tony felt strong arms wrap around them. Then a loud, deliberate _flap_ snapped through the hall.

Fury stopped, staring at the young man who stood behind and held both of them protectively, his fearsome wingspan fully expanded, intimidatingly filling the width of the corridor.

"It's our guardian angel again," Tony muttered, swiping at his mouth. His hand came away bloody.

"Good morning, Mr. Stark," Angel answered calmly from behind them, withdrawing his hands but remaining near and keeping his wings spread. Tony looked to Pepper, not letting her go.

"You okay?"

"Yes," she said breathlessly, looking fearfully and hatefully at Nick Fury.

"What happened?" Storm ducked under Angel's right wing, glancing confusedly back and forth at all of them. Tony wiped his mouth again with the back of his hand, and spit blood onto the floor. Storm stared at him, then whirled on Fury.

"Nick! What is this?"

"He hit me," Nick adjusted his coat. "That's all."

"I hit you for a reason," Tony started toward him but Pepper tightened her grip on him so hard he could feel her nails.

"You think I did those things to Iceman and the others on purpose?" Nick advanced on them again, and Tony felt both Storm and Angel tense.

"It certainly looks that way," Tony gritted.

"You don't have any idea what's going on, then," Fury scoffed. "Iceman, Wolverine and Spiderman _volunteered _themselves. We decided to build the Avengers together, and they allowed me to be the leader." Fury stood right in front of him, now. "I brought them information concerning Night Prince. They took the missions they thought they could accomplish." Fury held his palms out to the sides. "I have no leverage against them. I can't force them to do anything. They _chose _this."

"How _dare _you?" Tony lunged at him again, and this time Angel's vise grip on his arm restrained him, but just barely. Fury's gaze narrowed.

"I dare because I was fighting the darkness even while you were aiding it." Fury's voice grew even more caustic. He shook his head. "Don't lecture me, Tony Stark. Weren't you once called 'The Merchant of Death'?" His gaze knifed straight through Tony. He leaned in and hissed in his face. "Be careful who you call a murderer."

He swept past them, Angel quickly folding a wing to let him by. No one moved until Nick's footsteps faded into silence.

"Why didn't you let me go?" Tony spoke roughly, turning to Angel. Angel met his gaze coolly, fluttering his wings so they folded back down.

"He's stronger than he looks. And faster than he should be," was the answer. Storm hung her head.

"I'm sorry I let him in here. I didn't know..."

"It's okay, Storm," Tony tried to assure her, easing his grip on Pepper.

"I'm going to go check on the others," Storm murmured.

"Yeah," Tony cleared his throat, speaking darkly. "I'm going to go rinse out my mouth."

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Pepper sighed, leaning against the railing of the third floor balcony--her new favorite place in the mansion. She gazed out over the spacious grounds, her gaze lighting on Marie, who sat on the bench alone, while the other kids played noisily in the lawn. Pepper glanced down at her own folded hands. She knew how Marie felt. The tension was killing all of them.

Letting out another long breath, she turned and wandered back into the house, heading downward.

Eventually, she found herself outside Tony's workroom. Hesitating just a moment, she opened the door and stepped in, pausing on the threshold.

The room seemed too big for just Tony alone. And though he was in the process of building three new units to help him don his suit, the workroom felt empty without Peter.

Swallowing, she started forward, catching sight of Tony sitting behind a broad computer monitor. He glanced up at her briefly, then looked back down at what he was working on.

"Hi," Pepper said quietly, managing a smile.

"Hi," he answered shortly. She peeked around the monitor. He wore his gray shirt--one he could completely ruin without a second thought--and his jeans with a hole at the knee. He hadn't shaved in days, and his hair was unkempt. Before him on the metal table lay five objects that looked like small, squared-off sheaths about three and a half inches long. He was holding another one. He lifted it up and touched one end. Something made a tiny sliding noise inside, but nothing else happened.

"What are you doing?" Pepper asked.

"Just something to keep me occupied while I'm waiting for a robot piece to cool...or when that project's driving me insane," he answered faintly, not looking at her. Her smile faded, and she stood still, her hands slowly clasping in front of her.

"Are you okay?"

He briefly met her eyes before avoiding them again.

"Yeah. What makes you say that?"

"Well, the fact that you haven't come out of here for three whole days and you've barely spoken to anyone since Nick Fury was here," she explained frankly. He didn't answer. His jaw just tightened. She licked her lips and swallowed, shrugging.

"I mean, _I'd _be upset if someone called me The Merchant of Death and a murderer."

"It's true, Pepper," he snapped. "You know it is."

She looked at him sharply.

"What? No it isn't. Not anymore."

"Yes, it is," he tossed down the sheath with a clatter and pushed off the floor, sending him rolling across the floor on his wheeled chair toward a large builder robot. "Who am I to lecture about being cavalier with other people's lives when my company was dealing with the enemy, and I was too self-centered and arrogant to even pay attention?" he said flatly.

"Tony, you're not like that now," Pepper tried to tell him.

"I don't know that." He picked up a small piece and started attaching it to the machine arm. Pepper stared at him, disturbed.

"What do you mean? _I _know that."

He shook his head.

"No, I'm the same," he insisted. "I've acted that way with you."

"_What?_"

"My head got so big, and the hype got so charged that I decided, what the heck--I'll tell everybody I'm Iron Man and bask in the glory of being the savior of the civilized world. And that got you shot at."

"Tony, they weren't--"

"If we both hadn't been ducking, we both would have died," Tony countered. He shook his head once. "_Then_, instead of learning from that, I made you come with me on a trek all the way across the country so you could get shot at again, and get thrown around by jerks who send guys out to die." His jaw clenched again, his face tightening as he worked on a latch. "I said I was glad you had come, but I'd given you no choice. And I didn't even ask you to come because I thought you'd be safer, like I said." His voice quieted bitterly. "I made you come because _I _wanted you to come. Because I'm selfish." His expression twitched and he swiped at his eyes, bending closer to the machine. Neither of them spoke for a long moment.

"Tony," she finally said, gently. "They'll be okay."

He took a deep breath, his hands stilling a moment as his gaze flickered. Then he set back to work. Silently, Pepper turned and left the room.

VVVVVVVVV

It was the middle of the night again, and once more, Tony was not sleeping. He sat, his back aching, bent over the last missing piece of his final assembly unit. Once he finished this, his suit could be put on in a matter of moments.

"Like it matters now," Tony muttered, rubbing his forehead. The guys had been unconscious for nearly a week. Both had stabilized but neither had shown any signs of regaining consciousness. Tony swallowed. Storm had warned him that the damage done to their minds due to the emitter may be permanent.

Tony winced as he pinched his finger and he threw his small wrench across the room, kicking himself away from the robot and swearing. Letting out a long, weary breath, he bent over and rested his elbows on his knees, burying his face in his hands. He was _so sick _offeeling helpless.

The door banged open. Tony jerked up, his heart beating faster.

"Tony!" Rogue braced herself against the open door to keep it open, fighting with her crutches, but her face was glowing.

"Sweetheart, be careful," he warned, standing up. "Crutches aren't the most--"

"Logan's awake!" she crowed, her eyes shining. She swiped at them with one hand, but her grin broadened. "Come quick!"

His heart surging, Tony started toward the door. Then, on an afterthought, he turned and snatched up the six sheaths and stuck them in his pocket. After helping Rogue through the door, he hurried after her to the ICU.

VVVVVVVV

"Hey. It's the Tin Man." Logan's dark eyes hazily searched until they found Tony's face. Tony couldn't keep from smiling.

"Hey, Logan. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck, so..." he glanced up at Rogue, a smile of his own tugging on his mouth. "Not bad."

She laughed in sheer relief, not taking her eyes from him. Tony cast a critical eye over Logan's form. He didn't know about the wounds under the bandages, but the bruises and burns were gone, the huge cut had left his face, and Logan's hands had returned to normal.

"Amazing," he whispered.

"Hey, Marie," Logan's voice came out hoarse, and he cleared his throat. "I'm freezing."

Her smile became brighter.

"I have your blanket."

His gaze softened.

"Good."

"I'll get it."

"Let me get it," Tony offered.

"No, it's okay," Marie said hurriedly, and Tony realized that she was delighted to finally be able to do something for him. She made her slow way past them to the door, eased it open and left. Logan cleared his throat again.

"So did you ever think I wouldn't make it?"

"Nah," Tony waved it off.

"Not even for a second?"

"Nope." Tony shook his head. "In fact, I was so sure that you'd wake up that I made you these." He stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out the six sheaths. He lay them out on the bed, and picked on up, holding the glinting metal between his thumb and index finger so Logan could see. Logan's eyes narrowed.

"What are they?"

"They're kind of...sheaths for your claws," Tony explained, turning the one in his hand. "They'll have to be surgically implanted inside your hands of course, but that shouldn't take too long with your incredible abilities," Tony grinned wryly. "See, they sit in here like this, and at the first, barest hint of one claw touching this end--" Tony touched it, and in the same instant, the small, swift sliding sound issued. "And it opens up, immediately letting your claw slide through your hands smoothly, without tearing up your muscles and tendons. And _this _part," he tapped the opposite end. "Stays out of your skin just a little bit, so that you're not constantly reopening your outer layer of skin."

Logan slowly lifted a hand and took the sheath from Tony, gazing at it intently.

"And the _coolest _part," Tony went on. "Is that they're made of the same metal that my armor is, which means..."

Wolverine half cocked an eyebrow.

"What?"

Tony canted his head.

"It means that they're _extremely_ durable, but if they ever malfunction, one: I will personally buy you a new truck, and two," he grinned smugly. "Your Adamantium blades can cut right through the closing device, still allowing your claws to come out."

Wolverine snorted.

"It also means I'll be part Iron Man."

Tony's eyebrows went up, suddenly uncertain.

"Um...I suppose you could look at it that way."

Logan smiled crookedly.

"I guess I'm okay with that."

"Good," Tony nodded, trying to hide his sincere relief. "'Cause I'm not making different ones."

VVVVVVVVVVV

In a matter of minutes, Rogue returned, bringing with her an overjoyed Pepper, Storm, Angel and Beast. They all greeted Logan warmly, carefully shaking his hands and teasing him about lying down on the job. None of them would have noticed the small groaning noises coming from the other side of the room if Angel hadn't said anything.

"Look!" he turned, his wings flapping once. "Peter's waking up too!" He swiftly stepped over to Parker's left side. Tony hurried around Logan's bed, joining Pepper at the foot of the younger man's, and the other X-Men fell in right behind them.

Peter's brow furrowed, and his eyelids fluttered. Very slowly, he eased his eyes open, squinting up at the young man standing right by his bed.

"Am I dead?" Peter whispered. No one laughed. Any one of them might have thought so if a shining young man with vast feathered wings and encircled in a halo of brilliant light was there to greet him when he woke. Angel's vibrant eyes shone as he grinned.

"Not quite, Pete," he assured him, offering him his hand. Peter's face cleared of its bewilderment at the sound of the familiar voice and he smiled, reached up and grabbed Angel's hand. Angel gripped it firmly.

"Welcome back to the land of the living."

TBC

VVVVVVVV


	11. Chapter 11

_Tada! Sorry I took so long, everybody! I was out of town again. Whoosh. But here it is. :) As always, let me know what you think!!_

_VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV _

CHAPTER TEN

"I like these eggs. Storm makes good eggs."

"I personally like the strawberry jam and the biscuits."

"Of course you would like the strawberry jam."

"Why do you say that?"

Tony shrugged, glancing up at Pepper, who sat across the breakfast table from him.

"I dunno--something about your red hair and freckles--"

"Makes me look like a strawberry?" Pepper countered. Tony grinned.

"Maybe."

She kicked him under the table.

"Ow!" he laughed, jerking his leg back and rubbing his shin. They sat on the open balcony at a little picnic table, enjoying the beautiful morning that was opening up before them. Neither of them had ventured down to the workroom area since Logan and Peter had been moved to their rooms on the third floor. No one could bear that stifling, false light and that close, heavy space.

Tony studied Pepper--the way the sunlight danced over her ginger locks and lit up her sapphire eyes. She made a beautiful picture, especially with the stone railing and verdant forest behind her. The muscles and skin around his chest piece suddenly ached.

"What?" Pepper wondered, her joviality fading. He forced a smile.

"Nothing," he tried to assure her. But she just looked at him, waiting, and his will broke beneath her quiet patience.

"I talked to the Night Prince," he murmured, turning from her to gaze over the field. Pepper went stiff.

"When?"

"The night we rescued Logan and Peter."

"Where?"

"On top of one of the neighboring buildings."

Pepper took a moment to process that, then struggled to ask another question.

"What did he want?"

Tony sighed and shifted in his chair.

"He seemed like he'd been waiting for me. He said he'd been wanting to talk to me."

"About what?"

Tony didn't answer for a long moment.

"I don't know." He sighed. "But he invited me to the Osborn mansion to discuss it."

Pepper said nothing. Tony finally dragged his eyes back to her, and she was looking at him the same way she had when she had discovered that there were bullet holes in his armor.

"And you're thinking about actually going there and _talking_ to that monster?"

Tony swallowed.

"Yes."

Pepper stared at him, her mouth falling open.

"He'll kill you!"

He shook his head once.

"I don't think so," he looked away again. "He's very confident, but he talked to me like an equal. Like he wanted something. Needed something." Tony's eyes traced the railing. "I don't think he wants to kill me. Not now, anyway."

"That's a big if, Tony."

He glanced at her.

"I haven't decided yet. I still need to talk to Logan and Peter. They have more experience with him than either of us do."

Pepper wilted and cast her gaze down. Tony's chest pain worsened. He got up, scooting his chair back, and moved to leave. He paused, glancing back. Pepper hadn't moved. Hesitantly, he stepped back toward her, wanting to do something, but not knowing what. Giving up, he turned and entered the house, heading for Logan's quarters.

VVVV

"Knock, knock."

"Come in."

Tony eased the door open--then froze. He almost swore, but the air was sucked from his lungs.

Logan, standing on the other side of his bed, facing Tony, was reaching for a t-shirt that lay on the sheet. Tony swallowed hard. Logan's chest and stomach were riddled with long, thin, terrible scars.

"Holy cow," Tony managed, stepping inside. "I've got some shrapnel scars that...sorta...look like that, but..."

Logan glanced at him darkly and tugged on the shirt.

"I don't usually get scars," Logan growled, adjusting his shirt and running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, well I...guessed you wouldn't." Tony swallowed hard again. Logan let out a long sigh.

"It was a pain in the butt trying to heal from all that."

Tony winced slightly and said nothing for a long moment. Then he glanced at the floor.

"I uh..." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry I didn't get to you...you know, in time." Tony reluctantly met Logan's eyes. Logan looked at him in confusion.

"You think that was your fault?"

Tony hesitated, then shrugged stiffly.

"Well, I...I couldn't get my suit on fast enough, and--"

"No." Logan shook his head once, frowning deeply. "We took the ear pieces you'd made, but we were too stupid to take _you _along." Logan flopped down in a chair near the window. "If we'd had you, the Night _Princess_ would probably be dead."

Tony allowed himself a small smile, then rounded the bed and stood opposite Logan, though he gazed out the window.

"So...what exactly happened out there?"

Logan took a breath, bending over and resting his elbows on his knees.

"It's a long story, but..." he shifted. "Me and Pete attacked the convoy of trucks from the back. Our plan was to take them out one by one, back to front, without them knowing--sorta like trench warfare. But after we'd only taken care of one van, Vicar showed up--apparently he'd been watching the whole thing. He came in with incredible firepower like I'd never seen. Pete said it was Green Goblin technology."

"What?" Tony's brow furrowed. "The Green--that freak psycho that did all that damage a few years ago? How did Vicar get a hold of _that_ stuff?"

Logan glanced up.

"Pete says that stuff was invented by Oscorp--the Green Goblin was Norman Osborn."

Tony stared at him.

"No way."

"It gets better," Logan said blackly. "Apparently, _Harry_ Osborn used some of that technology as well--a glider, rockets, grenades, a high-tech armor suit and muscle-enhancing drugs. He used his for a good cause in the end, but it cost him his life. Apparently Vicar didn't learn any lessons from the Osborns." Logan sat back in his chair. "He tore us apart. Then he set off an emitter, and I got ready to die..." Logan took an uneven breath. "But it didn't hurt me. Peter fell down, and Vicar threw a grenade at him. It blew up, and Pete flew twenty feet. I got to him and dragged him into a building. Vicar followed us. He got out a sword, and I charged

him." Logan absently touched his side. "He ran it right through me. I couldn't believe it when it didn't heal. I noticed a light on his blade and thought that an emitter must be going off--he had me. So...I figured that while I was there, I might as well take him down with me." Logan swallowed. "But he was too fast. And I wasn't healing. He made cold cuts out of me."

Tony suppressed a shiver, folding his arms over his chest. Logan went on.

"He knocked me to my knees, and he could have easily killed me--I'd lost so much blood--but then for some reason, he just hit me with his hilt and knocked me out." He looked up at Tony again. "The next thing I remember, I was waking up to see Marie sitting beside me."

Tony sighed deeply.

"Why didn't the ear pieces work?" he muttered.

Logan shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe they did."

"What do you mean?"

Logan looked at him.

"I'm not dead."

Tony stared out the window.

"That could be the earpieces--or it could be that he let you live."

Logan sat up.

"What?"

Tony's jaw tightened.

"I talked to him."

Logan slowly rose to his feet.

"Vicar?"

Tony nodded once.

"When?"

"When I went to find you. He told me where you were--that he'd saved you guys for me to pick up. That he wanted to visit with me."

"Sounds like he's scared of you," Logan growled.

"I doubt it," Tony snorted. "After what he did to you two, why would be be scared of

me?"

"Because you're immune to his fancy emitter," Logan said darkly. "And because you built a walking tank that got you out of a nest of terrorists that would sooner kill you than look at you. You're the Iron Man." He arched an eyebrow. "Any man in his right mind would be terrified of you."

Tony chuckled.

"Thanks." He paused, then considered Logan. "So..._you_ think I should talk to him."

"After what happened the other night?" It was Logan's turn to snort. "_I _sure the heck would." Logan headed for the door. "If nothing else, just to get a free chance at hitting him in the teeth."

VVVVVVVV

"Look at this."

Marie's eyes widened as Logan held up his left hand. They sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, and though the room was mostly dark, the light from the flames glinted against the three ends of the metal sheaths that appeared just above the surface of his skin.

"What are they?" Marie wondered.

"They're implanted sheaths--inside my hand," Logan explained quietly. He closed his hand into a fist. Instantly, his claws leaped out with a clean, swift _shink_, faster than they ever had before. Logan glanced at Marie. To this day, she was the only person he had ever met who didn't jump when he did that. He met her eyes.

"It's the first time I can remember that it doesn't hurt when they come out." He retracted them, and they entered with a satisfying snap, leaving behind no sting or ache.

"Did Tony make these?" Marie wondered. Logan almost smiled.

"What makes you think that?"

"The metal. It--" she touched him.

He yanked his hand away before he knew what he was doing. She jerked. He saw her face, and raw remorse lanced through his chest.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he stammered, looking away.

"It's okay," she assured him. "I took some of the medicine today."

Logan turned back, his brow furrowing.

"Why?"

She shrugged.

"Storm said I should. My leg hurt after sitting by you all that time."

Logan swallowed.

"I'm sorry."

She gave him a small, teasing smile.

"That's okay. It wasn't _all _your fault." She held out her right hand, palm up. "Can I see?"

Logan hesitated a moment, then placed his own right hand in hers. She took both her hands and began exploring his, squeezing his palm between her fingertips, feeling how the sheaths lay between his bones.

"Did it hurt?" she asked.

"Nah," he waved it off. "Only took a few minutes." Truthfully, though, it _had _taken longer than that, and it _had _hurt, but he had no desire to distress her further.

He settled against her cautiously, amazed at the feeling of her fingers against his. Finally, he leaned his head down so it rested against the side of hers. After a long moment, Marie spoke.

"Do you think I'm a silly little girl?"

Logan frowned.

"No. Why?"

Marie sighed.

"Because that's how I feel when I just have to sit here and can't help you at all." Her voice quieted. "I know Pepper feels that way, too. And so does Mary Jane, I'm sure."

Logan sat back a bit, draping his left arm companionably across her shoulders.

"Now, you didn't do _nothing_. You gave me something nice to wake up to."

Marie rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm serious," Logan insisted. "What if it had been Beast? I would have had a heart attack."

She stifled a laugh and shoved scoldingly against him. He chuckled deeply. Sighing again, she lifted her eyes to his. His gaze, suddenly captured, traced her features. He softly brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead with his left hand.

A floorboard creaked. Logan broke from her gaze and tensed, staring out into the hall.

"What?"

"Stay here," he muttered, slowly rising to his feet. It was probably just some kid up to get a snack at two in the morning--but flashing memories of an attack on the school wouldn't allow him to just blow off things that went bump in the night.

He eased out into the hall. After a moment of searching, he spotted a figure at the opposite end. It was a man--a man in a suit.

On bare, silent feet, Logan broke into a run and raced toward him, extending his claws as he moved. The figure reached for the handle of the wooden door.

Logan lunged with a roar, lashing out with his right hand. His claws thudded into the door, inches from the man's head.

Tony Stark barely turned his head, staring wide-eyed at Logan's blades plunged three inches into the wood.

"Good lord," Tony said tightly. He turned around completely, his face pale. "Are you _trying _to scare me to death? Because one of these times it's gonna work."

"Sorry," Logan muttered, chagrined, prying his claws out.

"My word--Look what you did to the door," Tony winced, rubbing the marks in vain. "It's mahogany..."

"We can never be too careful here," Logan tried.

"So are the bad guys normally trying to sneak _out?_" Tony said testily."Because I don't know of any security system that can help you with that." Tony stared at the door again. "Besides stabbing them through the head, I guess."

Logan cleared his throat and shifted his shoulders, trying to shake off his embarrassment.

"Where are you going?"

Tony met his eyes.

"I'm going to talk to the Night Prince."

Logan lowered his head.

"I'll come with you."

"No."

"Why?"

Tony paused a moment.

"I need you to stay here."

"Why?"

"To take care of everybody. Protect Pepper," Tony said, with a hint of discomfort.

"You need a ride, though."

"Can I borrow somebody's car?"

Logan hesitated, then reached in his pocket.

"Take mine." He tossed him a set of keys. Tony caught them, then looked at Logan out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm afraid of yours."

Logan grinned.

"No, you're not."

Tony didn't seem entirely convinced, but he stuffed the keys in his own pocket.

"I mean it, though," Tony added. "Take care of Pepper, okay?" He held out his hand. Logan nodded.

"I will." He grasped his hand. Tony shook it once, then glanced at Wolverine's knuckles. He laughed.

"Nice."

"Thanks." Logan squeezed his hand firmly, then dropped it. Tony turned and opened the door.

"When should we come after you?" Logan asked. Tony stopped, then glanced over his shoulder.

"Don't."

Logan didn't reply, but his chest tightened. Tony nodded once more, then left, shutting the door behind him.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Name, Sir?"

"Tony Stark. I'm here to have a meeting with Edmund Vicar."

A normal valet would exclaim at the absurdity of holding a meeting at three in the morning, but apparently this one was used to such goings on. He didn't even blink.

"Very well, Mr. Stark. If you'll hand me your keys, I will park your car for you."

"No thanks," Tony declined. "I'd rather park it myself."

Now the valet did blink, but he didn't seem disposed to argument.

"Very well, sir," he said again, pointing. "Straight through to that parking garage. Park on the right, then enter the elevator and take it to the thirtieth floor."

"Thanks." Tony threw the car back into first gear and headed forward. He admitted that he had been _very _skeptical of driving Logan's car--after the days of the pickup, who would blame him? But _this _particular vehicle won instant protectiveness from Tony. It was a black, beautiful M5 BMW. It was a beast. Tony smiled tightly. Logan had good taste after all. Surprise, surprise.

He pulled into the prescribed spot, got out, locked the car, and after warily glancing around the silent garage, he headed to the elevator. His footsteps echoed crisply through the cement structure, and then the elevator closed around him.

He was plunged into darkness. The only lights were those of the red buttons. Swallowing hard, knowing there were probably cameras watching him, he pushed the button for the thirtieth floor.

It ascended rapidly but smoothly, and finally the doors hissed open, but without the usual friendly _ding_.

Cautiously, Tony stepped out into the corridor.

The wooden floors had been replaced with black, polished marble. The overhead chandeliers had been usurped by dim, flickering candelabras ensconced in the wooden support beams of the walls. Everything else was utterly dark.

Tony shivered as a breath of icy air wafted over him. It was unnaturally cold and musty in here--almost as if the temperature was purposeful. His heels tapped against the marble as he continued, his hands closing, his gaze darting back and forth. He fought against loosening his tie.

He paused as he passed a doorway to his left. The light of a fireplace within caught his eye, but he soon discerned no one was in there. It was a shadowed library, with towering walls covered with books. Above the mantle hung a lion's head, and flanking the fireplace were two statues of skeletons. The back of Tony's neck prickled. At least, he _hoped _they were statues.

Swallowing hard, he continued. His jaw tightened. He swore he'd been here before, though he knew the times he had visited the Osborns had nothing to do with it. Then it hit him. This place reminded him of the first time he'd read the book _Dracula_. He shivered again.

At last, he reached the end of the hall, which opened up into a vast, slightly-better lit room. He guessed, from what he could remember, that this had used to be a sitting room right in front of a raised dining area. Now, the sitting room was devoid of furniture, except for several tall, iron-wrought, standing candelabras where flickering candles dripped. On the far wall in front of him hung an immense painting of the ghastly Hades, the classical god--wreathed in blue flame, his yellow eyes seeming to add illumination to the room--against a background of the river Styx. Against the wall to Tony's left was another painting. He halted, squinting at it. It seemed vaguely familiar. Then he blinked. It was a replica of Michelangelo's _Last Judgment _in the Sistine Chapel--but this version had been cut in half. The glorious angels, rising saints and magnificent Christ had been severed from it, and all that remained was the lower half: figures falling, and others writhing in hell.

Tony went completely cold, and he was overcome with a dreadful urge to run.

Then he caught sight of movement, and a strange swishing noise. In the dim light, he sighted a man brandishing a sword near a bar that stood on the stage area. He moved like a fencer, graceful and deadly, reminding Tony of Indigo Montoya in _The Princess Bride_. Except eerie and frightening. Tony stepped forward. The man froze, and turned his ebony head toward him.

"Mr. Stark." Edmund Vicar greeted him, relaxing his stance and lowering his sword. Vicar smiled amiably. "Nice for you to drop by. I was just wondering if you'd ever take me up on my invitation." He picked up his sheath from the floor and slid his sword into it with a firm snap. Tony stepped toward him slowly, his heels clicking rhythmically against the black marble, keeping his demeanor cold and unreadable.

"I was in the neighborhood," Tony answered flatly. "Thought I'd come by to see what you've done with the Osborn mansion."

"Really?" Edmund grinned, pouring himself some cognac from the bar. "What do you think?"

"It scares me."

Edmund swallowed hurriedly so he could bark out a laugh. The sound echoed hollowly off the old walls.

"Well, to each his own, I suppose." Edmund set his glass down and leaned back against the bar, folding his arms over his chest. "So did you really come just to critique my decor, or would you like to talk business?"

"Actually, I'd have no problem with never laying eyes on you again," Tony answered back. "But since you've gone to such lengths to get ahold of me, I guess you'll be picking the topic."

"What lengths?" Vicar asked innocently. Tony's eyes narrowed.

"You shot at me and my friends in the mountains in Colorado."

Vicar's mouth fell open, and then he laughed.

"You weren't _afraid _of them, were you Stark? The great Iron Man with his invincible suit?"

"Not everybody was wearing an invincible suit," Tony replied quietly. Vicar sobered.

"Quite right. But I knew you would take care of them."

"Why would you care?"

"To test you," Vicar answered. "All I'd heard of you was rumors, really. I wanted to see if you were as a superior thinker and fighter as befits your reputation."

"How did you find us in the mountains?" Tony demanded. Vicar rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Stark," he scolded. "How do you _think_ I found you?"

Tony's throat suddenly closed.

"I talked--"

"--on your cell phone," Vicar finished. He raised his eyebrows. "I hadn't really expected a slip like that from you."

"You had an awful lot of firepower ready for something so unexpected," Tony retorted. Vicar just grinned.

"So why bother putting me through all these tests and deceptions to talk to me? Why not just send me an email?" Tony asked.

"I knew you'd be in the neighborhood," Vicar said slyly, polishing his sword hilt with his thumb.

"You blew up my house, too," Tony snarled.

Vicar chuckled, glancing over at the painting of the judgment.

"I'll get straight to the point." His icy black eyes met Tony's again. "I wanted to get you here and talk to you in person because I want to make you my partner."

Tony blinked. Inside, he struggled to maintain his poker face.

"What makes you think I'd want to get within even ten feet of a vampire like you?"

Vicar laughed again and hopped down the set of three stairs.

"Because I know you, Tony." He raised his eyebrows openly. "I've read all your research, and every biography and article written about you."

"That kinda creeps me out," Tony stated. Vicar's mouth twisted in amusement.

"It should flatter you. I got a doctorate of my own in science and technology, and then I began my career by imitating your work and the work of other scientists--figuring out your projects and concepts for myself, just as Beethoven mimicked Mozart and Bach before venturing out into new waters." Edmund's gaze had drifted to the painting but now flashed back to Tony. "And now I'm building upon the work of _two _scientists to create advancements in weapons and enhancements in biology which will take me into another realm entirely."

"You mean Osborn," Tony realized. Vicar nodded.

"If you are the Mozart, then he is the Bach. I bought everything of his. And I've found that your discoveries and his are leading to some exciting new ones."

"If you're referring to stealing my emitter design and combining it with Osborn's muscle enhancing technologies in order to drop mutants like deer," Tony snapped. "I'd hardly call that on par with the wheel and the light bulb."

Vicar considered him.

"You know, Stark, you are incredibly insightful about some things and completely oblivious concerning others," he mused. "You are right about Osborn's muscle enhancers, but wrong about the significance of my inventions." He paced away from Tony, back to his sword. "It's incredibly complex. I'm quite proud of myself." Flashing Tony a grin, he took up his sword again and pushed a button on the hilt. A blue light lit up near the blade. Tony felt a low vibration in his chest, then could barely detect a high-pitched whine. His heart thudded in panic at the familiar sensation, and he waited for blood to trickle down his ears, and a limpness to capture his legs. Nothing happened.

He gathered himself and swallowed.

"So is that your cheaper version of my emitter?"

"Only in principle," Vicar replied, turning the sword in his hand. "As I said, it's much more complex. And I don't just have one emitter." He looked up at Tony. "I have several."

Tony said nothing, but the question on his face was enough.

"Everything that has any mass also has motion," Vicar explained calmly, raising the blade. "As you know, all molecules vibrate to some extent--even the molecules of lead." He hefted the sword but didn't put it away. "Each substance gives off a certain vibration, a frequency, even if we cannot perceive it." He faced Tony. "You may not know this, but when the Wolverine was subjected to the great adamantium experiment, he was completely submerged in saline water."

"What does that--" Tony started. Vicar held up a hand, silencing him.

"They had to do this because the vibration given off by that solution slows the Wolverine's healing down to a crawl, giving the doctors time to graft the metal to his bones."

Tony felt a coldness settle down through his gut.

"You've used that frequency in your emitter," he murmured. Vicar nodded once. He shifted his grip on his weapon.

"And the blade is adamantium."

Tony's throat closed as the implication flooded his mind. _That _was why Logan had looked like a filleted fish after the attack on the convoy.

"What about Spiderman?" Tony managed. Vicar smirked.

"Relax, Mr. Stark. We'll get to that when both our names are on the top of the old Oscorp building."

"You still haven't given me any temptation towards that end," Tony reminded him. Vicar furrowed his brow.

"Well, for one thing, I might let you convince me to stop going after these freaks that have tried to adopt you into the pack."

Tony's eyes narrowed.

"You would leave them alone?"

Vicar shrugged.

"Why not? They're in complete disarray--probably dead, simply because otherwise you wouldn't be here. I've done my job."

Tony felt his blood simmering, but he fought to keep his voice level.

"What about Doom and Fisk?"

"Well, you'd be much more able to keep an eye on them from up here instead of stuck in a basement somewhere," Vicar pointed out. "Plus, our combined resources would be limitless, and our two minds working together could produce the stuff of dreams." Vicar watched him a moment, then grinned. "Tempting, I know, but still an important decision." He turned, ascended the steps and started heading for the door. He spoke without looking back. "Sleep on it, Mr. Stark. Let me know as soon as you can."

VVVVVVVV

Tony turned and wandered back down the dim and shadowed corridors to the elevator and returned to his car. But even as he drove out into the warmth of the brilliant sunlight, he felt as if the shroud of night still draped over his head.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

_Sorry for the long delay! Let me know what you think!_

_This chapter is dedicated to Starkreactor :)_

_VVVVVVVVVVVVV_

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"They're different emitters. And I think some of them are refined better than others."

Logan watched Tony pace back and forth across the floor of the lab, gesturing calculatingly as he talked, his eyes distant. Logan stood with arms crossed next to Pete, Storm and Angel.

"What do you mean?" Pete wondered. Tony stopped.

"Well, I don't think he quite has yours down pat yet," he pointed at Pete. "Like you said; because you're not a born mutant. Maybe he was using information that he got from a mutant with the X gene who had similar abilities--there aren't exactly any medical records about you, I don't think."

Pete shook his head, pondering. Tony pointed at Logan.

"But there _are _records about _you_, because of the experiment done on you with the adamantium."

Logan scowled.

"Great."

"Your healing abilities saved you when you fought him, but your emitter slows them down," Tony told him, wincing slightly. "I think his plan was to wear you out and then try to hit someplace vital."

Logan's chest burned and his brow and shoulders tightened more.

"So he knows some of our weaknesses?" Angel surmised.

"It seems like it," Tony acknowledged.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Logan growled. "Now that he's sold these things to Doom and Fisk, any time we try to stop anything from going down around here, we run the risk of being killed before we even know what's happening."

"Well," Tony sighed, running his hand through his hair and scratching the back of his head. "We could probably--"

"Make separate ear pieces for everyone," Storm finished. Tony raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking." He shrugged. "I mean, it would take running extensive tests on people, and a lot of time of just me sitting down here in this lab--"

"Me, too," Peter added. Tony grinned at him.

"Thanks, kid. A lot of time of just me and Pete down here in the lab, but we could probably do it."

"Okay," Logan put his hands on his hips. "When do we start?"

VVVVVVVVV

"Aha! Nice to see you, dear sweet Pepper darling."

"Oh, my gosh," Pepper rolled her eyes. "You must want me to get you a latte."

Tony grinned lopsidedly, clicking a small piece into place where he was working.

"Actually, that would be great."

"All right, fine--even though I just hiked all the way down the stairs," Pepper sighed, turning on her heel and heading back out of the lab.

"Hey, come here and look at this," Tony instructed, not looking up. Pepper strode back toward him and stood over him.

"What?"

"Come on around," he instructed. She stepped around the table and perched on a stool next to him.

"What is it?"

"It's our first earpiece," he said proudly, sitting back and holding it up. Pepper reached out and carefully took it between her fingers. It almost looked like a hearing aid--small, circular, smooth and silver, with rubber around one edge, and a black center.

"Whose is this?" Pepper wondered, turning it in the light.

"Logan's," Tony told her, wincing as he reached back to rub the side of his neck. "Will you massage my shoulder?"

"No," Pepper answered lightly, still studying the piece. "Where's the other one?"

Tony jerked a thumb over his right shoulder.

"The metal is still cooling in the mold."

"How did Logan take to the testing process?"

Tony made a frustrated grunt.

"Like a bear at the vet," he muttered. Pepper smiled slightly.

"You think that's funny?" Tony objected. "Well, next time we need to wax part of his chest in order to attach monitors, and stick him with needles and things while he threatens to take off an arm--_you_ can do it."

Pepper stifled a laugh.

"Well, I'm sure that Peter will be an exemplary patient for you."

Tony groaned.

"Where is Peter, anyway?" she wondered.

"Aren't you just full of questions today," Tony retorted. Pepper cocked her head coyly, set the piece down and stood up. She moved over to another table and began organizing the chaotic mess of tools lying there.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Tony demanded.

"This is a disaster area," she answered calmly, lining up the screwdrivers. "I'm not putting anything away Mr. Stark--I'm just straightening."

She sensed him relax slightly, and heard his chair squeak as he leaned back in it.

"Pete's gonna have that scar on his face for the rest of his life," he said quietly. Pepper's hands stilled for a moment, then she carefully continued, keeping silent in case he wanted to go on talking.

"He got a bad burn on his shoulder, too," he murmured. "And Logan--he's all torn up." She heard him swallow.

"Really?" she prompted quietly.

"Yeah. With his healing abilities, it usually takes a lot for him to scar. But now he's covered with them."

Pepper turned around and saw Tony staring off into space, arms folded over his chest, his left shoulder tenser than the other.

"This isn't a normal bad guy we're fighting, Pepper." His voice darkened. "His conversation is so normal, and his manner is casual, and...I guess I was sorta expecting someone like the villains in the cartoons I watched on Saturday mornings--sitting around rubbing his knuckles and laughing. But the paintings on his walls...and his creepy house..." He shook his head. "He talks about these mutants like they're animals. And he'll kill them like animals." Tony let out a deep breath. "He's a genius, and he's ruthless. So even with these ear pieces...it's not going to be easy."

Pepper reached out and grasped his left shoulder from behind, pushing her thumb down into his muscle and rubbing firmly. He took a breath, his eyes closing briefly. Purposefully, she worked the knot out until he was finally relaxed. She moved to take her hand away. His right hand reached across his chest and grasped her fingers. She stopped and stood there, allowing herself to return the pressure a little.

"Thank you, Miss Potts," he said quietly.

"Any time, Mr. Stark," she answered, smiling a tad. "Let me go get you your coffee." She started toward the door.

"And you can stay when you bring it back," Tony called after her. "I need somebody to help me down here--Pete's taking a nap and I don't know what to do without an extra set of hands."

She glanced back over her shoulder and looked at him. It wasn't that. She was sure. But she could see in his eyes that he didn't want to be down here by himself.

"Of course," she answered breezily. "I recall what an excellent job I did with your arc reactor." And she left the room with the sound of his chuckle echoing after her.

VVVVVVVVVV

Tony glared over at the envelope sitting on his work table. Storm had brought it down nearly ten minutes ago, but he had been in the middle of something, his hands covered with oil. Now, as he wiped his hands, he approached it and stared down at it.

It was a very expensive envelope--fine vellum stationery, with a red wax seal bearing the initial V. Tony threw his rag down. Three guesses as to who _that _was.

He snatched it up and tore it open, yanking out the contents. It was an invitation, printed on card stock, in beautiful curling writing.

_Mr. Anthony Stark_

_You are hereby invited to a luncheon and wine-tasting_

_At the manor of Edmund Vicar the Third_

_at_

_11:00 in the morning_

_Saturday, June 10th of this year_

_To celebrate the business alliance_

_of_

_Vicar, Stark, Fisk and Doom_

_Please RSVP By the 7th_

_We would be honored by your presence_

Tony's eyebrow arched, and he peered inside the envelope to make sure that was all. It wasn't. Taking a tight breath, he pulled out a folded piece of stationery paper. This note was hand written. His eyes narrowed as he read it.

_Mr. Stark,_

_I am certain that you see and understand the business_

_advantages of our working together, and that you will_

_prudently RSVP by the required date. However, if your_

_"friends" attempt to advise you otherwise, you can _

_assure them that you know me well, and that I _

_am never humiliated or rejected by anyone. I will be _

_expecting to hear from you soon. If not, the regret_

_shall be yours, of course, as I know exactly where_

_ Dr. Xavier's school for talented youngsters is located._

_Kind regards,_

_Edmund Vicar_

His jaw tightening, Tony shoved the papers back into their envelope. He glanced over at his Iron suit, gleaming and waiting. It was time to get everybody together to see if this whole "Avengers" thing would actually work.

VVVVVVVVV

"I don't like this at all," Logan snarled, staring at the wall of the conference room.

"Well, what are we supposed to do about it?" Tony asked, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the polished table. "The threat wasn't even veiled."

"I don't like the idea of anyone walking right into his house at his bidding," Angel inserted, with an uneasy rustle of his wings. Tony glanced around the room. The men were scattered; Logan at one end, Angel at the other, and Tony in the middle. The women, however--Pepper, Rogue and Storm--stood near the door. Both Pepper and Storm had their arms folded across their chests. Pepper studied the rug. Tony bit the inside of his mouth, his gaze wandering over to alight on the invitation and note which lay on the table. Tony took a deep breath.

"Both Doom and Fisk are going to be there--if they can be taken out all at once, then our problem is solved." He took a deep breath. "Any trap can also be turned into an opportunity."

Silence fell.

"So..." Pepper said quietly. "You're going alone?"

Tony met her eyes, and was stricken by the fear he saw.

"No," he said. He suddenly felt all eyes on him. He shrugged.

"The invitation didn't say anything about my not bringing friends."

VVVVVVVVV

The next few days, none of them got very much sleep. Tony, Pepper and Peter worked tirelessly in the lab, formulating the tests to be run. Tony RSVP'd at the appropriate time, mailing the answering card back. The hodge-podge group pulled through the nights with coffee and loud music, molding and fashioning the ear pieces for those who would be going: Angel, Storm, Spiderman, and Wolverine. Then, at long last, the night before the big event arrived, and all of them resolved to get some sleep.

But none of them could.

Tony sat down in the lab, fiddling with a small assistant robot whose helper arm had jammed. He sighed. He knew he ought to sleep. But with the lives of so many people hanging on the hopes that his invention would work, he just couldn't.

He heard footsteps, and he glanced up to see the brooding form of Logan wander into the room. He was frowning fiercely, and looked restless. Tony could guess why. He sighed.

"Have you talked to her yet?" Tony wondered, his voice echoing through the metal room. Logan looked up suddenly.

"Who?" he growled.

"Rogue--er, Marie."

"Talked to her about what?"

Tony concentrated hard on securing a latch, his gut tightening.

"Well, I was just thinking of...telling Pepper something before I leave."

VVV

"MJ?"

"Hey, Tiger!"

Peter grinned at the sound of the familiar voice over his cell phone. He sat on his bed, his repaired Spider suit draped on the bed next to him. He reached out and ran his hand over its smooth, sturdy surface.

"I'm...going in to do a kinda difficult job tomorrow morning."

VVV

"Are you okay?" Rogue stepped out onto the balcony where Pepper stood wrapped in a robe, taking her crutches in one hand and setting them against the railing, then leaning her elbows down against the cold stone next to Pepper.

"Me? Yes, yes I'm fine," Pepper assured her, overly cheerful.

"I'm not," Rogue murmured, gazing out over the darkened grounds, the night breeze ruffling her hair. "I hate sitting here, waiting for something bad to happen."

Pepper's weak defenses cracked.

"Yeah," she said tightly, looking away. Rogue canted her head toward her.

"You're worried about Tony."

Pepper met her eyes.

"You're worried about Logan."

VVV

A sudden silence fell between the two men.

"Oh," Logan realized, his voice hushed. "What, you think I should..."

Tony cleared his throat and glanced up at Wolverine from his work bench.

"It might be a good idea...seeing as there's still a risk we could die."

VVV

"You're going out tomorrow?"

Peter heard the sudden worry enter Mary Jane's tone.

"It's okay," he assured her, even though he didn't quite believe it. "I mean, we've got it figured out, we think we've got the jump on the guy..."

"We?"

"Yeah," Peter smiled to himself. "Yeah, I'm going in with...a few really good friends."

VVV

Rogue shifted, her brow furrowing as she considered what Pepper said.

"I..." her throat closed, and she swallowed. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what I'd do without Logan. He's always been there for me, always--" She stopped to calm her shaking voice. She lowered her tone. "This is the only enemy he's faced that's made him completely vulnerable--that's hurt him like that."

Pepper saw stark fear in her eyes. Then Rogue said the words both of them had been avoiding:

"They could all die."

VVV

Wolverine stood, his hands in fists, not moving. Tony straightened and held his dark, stormy gaze.

"I will if you do," Wolverine said tensely.

Tony nodded once.

"Deal."

VVV

"Good," Mary Jane was being brave, Peter could tell--he was so proud of her. He swallowed.

"I don't deserve you."

She laughed.

"You've got me anyway."

VVV

Pepper swallowed hard and her heart suddenly surged.

"We have to tell them, don't we?" she whispered. Rogue's eyes flashed, but she didn't have to ask what she meant. Rogue bit her lip, then nodded.

"Yeah."

"When?" Pepper breathed.

Rogue's gaze darted to the clock inside, and then she reached for her crutches.

"They're going to get ready and leave in about fifteen minutes, so...right now."

VVV

Peter leaned his head over against the phone, wishing he was leaning against MJ's hair.

"Wish me luck."

"Go get 'em, Tiger."

"I love you, Mary Jane Watson," he murmured.

"I love you too, Pete."

VVVVVVVV

Pepper had gone downstairs to try and find Tony. Carefully, Marie hobbled toward the elevator, more frustrated than ever at her crutches.

Then, all of a sudden, the elevator doors opened, and she stopped. Logan, head down, charged out of the elevator, looked up, saw her--and froze.

"Marie."

She didn't say anything. He swallowed.

"We're...getting ready to leave."

She nodded. He took a few steps toward her, as if not knowing what to do.

"Um..."

Rogue's heart swelled and ached, wishing that for once the both of them could actually speak clearly to each other.

"You...didn't take that medicine today, did you?" His voice was rough. Rogue could not look at him. She bit her lip and shook her head once. Though he wore boots and jeans, his shirt was only a tanktop. His bare skin shivered like a horse's as he took a deep, shuddering breath. He stepped closer to her, and fear plunged down through her gut and she started trembling, struggling inside herself. She wanted so feverishly not to hurt him--but she also wanted desperately to embrace him, because she knew he wanted to hold her. But he couldn't touch her. And she couldn't touch him. Slowly, she lifted her head and held his deep brown gaze. Neither of them moved for a long time. Finally, she made herself breathe and speak.

"You'll take care of yourself, right?"

He nodded wordlessly, earnestly, running his eyes over her face. He lifted a hesitant hand, then barely fingered a strand of her hair. His brow knotted, and he turned and headed toward the door. Rogue swallowed hard. He stopped in the doorway, bracing his right arm against the doorframe. He lowered his head, and did not turn around.

"You know I love you, right?"

Rogue watched him, memorizing the sight of him standing there.

"Yes," she said. He lifted his head slightly and met her eyes. After a long moment, he turned and headed down the stairs.

VVVVVVVVV

Pepper raced down the stairs, her heart pounding, her hair fluttering around her face, her dressing robe flapping behind her. There was nothing for it, now. She had bitten down on her resolve and nothing could stop her--not even him.

Pepper shoved open the door of the door of the lab and hurried inside. She saw him standing there by his computer, as if he was waiting for her.

"Tony," she gasped. She knew what she had to do. She was going to throw her arms around him and kiss him--because it didn't matter anymore. She might never see him again.

But he beat her to it.

He strode right up to her, and without hesitation, took her by the shoulders and covered her lips with his. His hands slid up to cradle her head. She kissed him back. But in the next instant, he broke it, and both of them, panting and gazing intently into each other's eyes, spoke at the same moment:

"Be careful."

"I will."

And with one last look deep into her eyes, he strode past her toward the room where his Iron suit was waiting for him.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

_Thanks, as always, for the reviews! I hope this stays exciting for all of you. :)_

_VVVVVVVVV_

CHAPTER TWELVE

"Okay guys, is the car parked?" Tony stood atop the roof of a parking garage, trying to hide between two large vans.

"We're getting out now," came Storm's radio answer. "We're heading to the back alley."

Tony shifted, hit the van next to him with his elbow, and put a ding in the vehicle's paint. He winced, swore, and reflexively reached out to rub the damage. He then stopped himself as his metal-covered hand caught the light. He growled. Hiding was not exactly his style. But in broad daylight, it couldn't be helped.

Glancing around to make certain no one could see him, he stepped out and clunked toward the back side of the building, then glanced down.

"They have arrived, sir," Jarvis informed him, automatically zooming his viewscreen in to the place where they stood far below near a dumpster.

"All right ladies and gentlemen," Tony announced. "The Osborn mansion is straight to the east, over this building here. Remember: thirtieth level." He took a breath. "Storm--bring the rain."

Nothing happened for a moment. Then, a Styrofoam cup at his feet that had been lying perfectly still suddenly bounced away. The sky darkened. Tony glanced up. Clouds had materialized out of nowhere--dark, menacing clouds that slowly crouched down over Manhattan, covering the entire sky and blocking out the sun. Tony's helmet hummed as his view screen adjusted for the dimness. A low growl of thunder rolled from the north end of the island to the south, and a shivering flash illuminated the heavily swirling billows from within. Tony smiled tightly. Vicar wasn't the only one who could make things dark and creepy.

Lightning began dancing back and forth, and the clouds twisted in deeper agitation just above the towering Osborn mansion. Wind started rushing through the skyscrapers, buffeting against Tony's armor. Tony now stared across at the thirtieth floor windows, waiting.

It happened before he could blink. A blinding finger of lightning launched down out of the cloud and blasted through five windows on the thirtieth floor. It was as if Zeus had hurled a bolt from on high. The thunderclap was deafening, the shock wave vibrating Tony's chest cover, then snarling away over the rooftops.

"That's your cue, sir," Jarvis reminded him.

"Thank you, Jarvis," Tony took a breath, then activated his thrusters and shot into the air. He made straight for the mansion, aiming for the jagged hole Storm had just punched in it. In less than five seconds, he had passed into the darkness within, righted himself, and let himself gently down on the marble floor.

"Can we get some infrared please?"

"Yes, sir."

A switch near his right ear clicked, and he could now see, in grim red light, part of the great room where he had had his first meeting with the Night Prince.

Loud flapping issued from his right, and Angel, carrying Wolverine, was silhouetted against the broad daylight on the other side of the hole. Hurriedly, they landed and came in to stand beside him. They both wore black, thick X-Men uniforms, and a side arm. Angel quickly and tightly folded his wings, as if protecting them. Logan came to stand by Tony, glancing furtively around the darkness.

"The lightning made the power go off, huh?"

"Looks like it," Tony agreed. "Where's Pete?"

"Right here." The Spiderman, grasping a long strand of web, swung around easily and landed lightly next to Angel. His blue, red and silver suit had been repaired seamlessly--doubtlessly because of endless experience.

"Everyone's ear piece radios working?" Angel wondered.

"Yep," they all replied.

"Okay, let's go find this guy." Tony stepped forward.

The lights flashed on. His infrared instantly switched off as the whole room illuminated to regular brightness. Tony braced himself, and sensed the others do the same.

Standing up on the stage, poised like a blade, wearing black, flexible body armor, was Edmund Vicar. His black eyes watched them, burning holes through all of them, then rested on Tony. Suddenly he smiled, but did not move.

"Hello, Mr. Stark. It was nice of you to take that side wall out for me. How did you know I wanted to repaint that? Now I don't have to--I can just change that hall completely."

Tony cast a quick look around the room.

"Where are Fisk and Doom?"

"They aren't here yet," Vicar answered lightly. "They were set to come at 11:30." He glanced down at his watch. "Well done, though! You're very punctual."

Tony hesitated, fighting his confusion. Vicar cocked his head.

"Now you're wondering what is going on." He took a deep breath. "Well, I actually figured that I ought to play it safe. I would invite you at a specific time and force you to come, and either you would come alone and I would have a new ally, or you would deliver to me yourself, and the other mutants that have caused me so many problems." He shrugged. "It's a win-win, I think."

"Not really," Logan snapped. Vicar raised his eyebrows.

"Stark, would you care to explain to me what this animal means?"

Logan's fists clenched. Tony tightened.

"Your emitter weapons won't work."

Vicar laughed.

"Oh, those. Of course you've modified your ear pieces." He let out a breath. "But you of all people should know, Stark," He lowered his head, and a devilish half-smile appeared on his lips. "I'm the kind of enemy that never does the same thing twice."

He lifted his right arm. In a black gloved hand he held a long-barreled revolver. And before anyone could move, he had pulled the trigger and shot Logan through the chest.

The shot blasted through the room, shaking the windows and floor. Logan, roaring, collapsed backward, thudding onto his side.

Instantly, Peter shot web out of his wrist and it latched onto Logan's back. Peter then yanked on the web and swiftly hauled Logan across the floor to the cover of a large table.

"Angel!" Peter yelped. Angel dove to follow. Another shot rang out. White feathers burst into the air. Angel landed beside Peter and Logan, pressing himself against the wall. Tony watched, horrified, but quickly saw he had only been clipped.

Tony turned back toward Vicar, and his muscles fired. He thundered toward him and leaped up on the stage, towering over the dark man.

"So this is how you work?" Tony's voice was deadly. "You just shoot people like a common thug?"

Vicar smiled, his black eyes flashing.

"Whatever works. I knew you didn't have Superman on your team."

Tony lowered his head.

"Really?"

Vicar arched an eyebrow.

"Are you faster than a speeding bullet?"

"Yes," Tony answered. "But just like him, I don't have to be."

Vicar grinned broadly. The next second, he leaped to the side and planted his feet on a sharp, winged machine. It blasted off from the ground, and he stood atop it like an archer.

"Then catch me, Iron Man," he taunted, and in an eyeblink, raced over Tony's head, down the hall and out the great hole they had made.

"Okay, Jarvis," Tony growled. "Let's get this guy out of our hair." And he blasted after him.

VVVVVVVV

"I am so sick of being shot," Logan gritted, sweat pouring down his face. Angel unzipped the front of Logan's uniform, exposing the wound. He went pale.

"Oh..."

"What?" Logan's eyes flashed up to meet his.

"How do you feel, Logan?" Peter demanded.

"Like I've just been shot!" Logan thundered.

"You know what I mean!" Peter shouted back. Logan let out a gasping breath, his head falling back.

"Like I can't breathe. My pulse is weird and I can't breathe."

"Yeah," Angel said tightly. "That's because you've been shot through the heart."

Logan stared at him, then cried out when Peter pressed his hand down hard over the entry wound.

"Will it heal?" Angel asked, hushed.

"Yeah, no problem," Logan grunted. Peter looked up at Angel, glad that the other man couldn't see his face. "Well...It should. I hope."

VVVVVVV

According to plan, Storm was supposed to let the squall go and try to get into the building herself. But apparently, New York was already due for a storm, and so it had not dissipated. The clouds were still gathering force, as was the wind, and Tony's readouts told him that rain was threatening.

He zoomed after Night Prince, dodging through the skyscrapers so fast that they were merely flashes on either side of him. Tony's suit was faster, but Vicar's glider was more maneuverable. Also, Tony became grimly aware that he could not use his long range weapons in downtown New York without blowing up a city block. In this maze, his suit was limited. He had to get Vicar out in the open somehow.

Of course, _Vicar_ didn't care about the damage done to civilians.

He flipped the glider around, then came right at Tony, machine guns blazing. Tony twisted in mid air, three hits glancing off his shoulder. He wrenched himself around and followed right on Vicar's tail.

However, the next instant, a round object came hurtling toward him, and before he could react, it exploded. Tony was tossed sideways into a wall, shattering against the bricks and windows, knocking the air from his lungs. He fell, his eyesight flickering. Desperately, he fought to right himself, then, thirty feet from the street, fired his thrusters again.

"Damage, Jarvis?" he gasped.

"We're all right, sir," Jarvis assured him. "Just some scratches."

"Good," he managed. "Where did he go?"

"Down Fifth Avenue, sir."

Tony's jaw clenched. This guy was really starting to irritate him.

VVVVVVVVV

"Where's Tony?"

"He's waking up!"

Logan opened his eyes after muttering the first question, and saw three concerned faces bent over him: Storm, Angel, and Spiderman. He frowned.

"Well? Where is he?"

"He left. He's chasing Night Prince," Peter answered.

"Good." Logan sat up, and a bullet rolled off his chest and landed on the floor with a clink. He stared at it, rubbing his left arm. "That was a close one, huh?"

None of them said anything.

"Well, okay--time to get the second half of this party started," he decided brusquely, crawling to his feet. "Storm, Angel--let's go find this guy's chemistry set and do some damage." He looked over at Spiderman and took a breath. "Pete, go help Tony."

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

_Here you go! Please let me know what you think! ;)_

VVVVVVVVV

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

They were headed toward the Brooklyn Bridge. Tony gritted his teeth. Not good. He pushed his speed, his armor humming, hoping he could get to Vicar before they got there. The wind whistled and roared, but Vicar seemed to dance across its back, weaving easily with its eddies and flows, seemingly ignorant that a terrible storm was bearing down on them. Tony gritted his teeth as he swung around another building, vowing to catch him--

However, Vicar wove expertly through the space between two buildings and burst out over the open bridge.

He fired his guns down on the cars speeding by below. Their breaks screeched, tires spun and horns honked as the drivers fought to avoid collision. Tony's heart thudded.

Vicar swooped low over the bridge, heading straight across it. But now, he was confined by the supports and wires on either side.

"Let's go, Jarvis."

Tony's thrusters fired with extra power, sending him rocketing forward, over Vicar's head. He then dove down, flying mere feet in front of the Prince.

"Counter measures," he muttered. The next instant, blinding orange balls of light shot out from Tony's suit and swept back toward Vicar. Tony pulled into a sharp climb and spun around to see what had happened.

Tony blinked. Vicar had been a magician. He had missed all of the countermeasures--except one.

His left wing issued black smoke. Vicar twirled around, fighting to control his craft, then steadied it, hovering thirty feet above the road. Tony stopped his ascent, his eyes narrowing. He raised his right arm, aiming straight at Vicar's glider. If he hit him now, the blast would knock him back to explode over the water.

He closed his fist. A tiny rocket launched from his forearm and jetted toward his enemy. It was going to hit him.

Suddenly, Vicar twisted, jerking out of the way at the last moment. The rocket whizzed past, shooting out across the water, and then exploded.

The shock shuddered against Tony's armor. The bridge trembled. People below screamed. Blinding, bulging flame lit the waves. Vicar grinned, his hair tossed by a swirling wind. He then leaned forward and took off, heading for the middle of the bridge. The thunder grumbled all around them, and lightning laughed. Tony whirled and followed Vicar, readying another rocket.

VVVVVVV

"How did you get in?" Angel asked Storm, holding his revolver at the ready as the three crept down the dark hallways.

"I came in a back door," she explained in a whisper. "The lock was electronic, and there's still so much static in the air that I was able to fry it."

"So you just walked in?" Logan muttered.

She nodded.

"I think the security system was thrown off by the lightning bolt, which is--"

"Exactly what we wanted," Logan finished. "So I'm assuming you know the way back downstairs?"

Storm hesitated.

"I--"

Gunfire rang out. Flashes blazed through the dark. The three leaped back, pressing themselves against the wall. Angel leaned around the corner.

"Kid--" Logan tried. Angel ignored him. He extended his arm and fired three times into the exploding chaos. Suddenly, it was quiet. They heard the sound of bodies thudding to the floor. Logan stared at him.

"Good shot," he managed. Angel glanced back.

"I have good eyes."

"Guess so," Logan grunted. "Storm?"

"Right," She took a breath. "Follow me."

VVVVVVV

Tony was almost sure he had hit one of Vicar's engines. But apparently he had backup power, or more than two engines, because the glider still seemed to be working fine. Tony rolled his eyes. _Wonderful_.

"Sir, Vicar is nearing the end of the bridge. If you do not reach him soon, any fight that continues will ensue over a populated area."

"Thank you, Jarvis." Tony's jaw tightened in frustration as he pulled up and hovered in mid air. His suit wasn't designed to fight this type of adversary. But it was going to have to work. He stretched out his arm, calibrated his targeting, and fired another missile.

He felt a thrill. This one was heading home. He just knew it. And Vicar was still speeding away in a straight line. Tony's thrusters kicked in and he followed, planning on using brute force, if nothing else, to see that this guy caught it this time.

The missile approached. Tony pushed his speed. Four brilliant balls of light issued from the back of Vicar's glider. Tony swore. Vicar had countermeasures, too.

The missile struck one of them and exploded. Tony's eye pieces clouded over to protect his vision as he swooped through the flame.

Something hit his left arm and stuck. He pulled up again, shooting higher into the air to get out of range. His eye pieces cleared. He looked down.

Stuck to his arm was a small, round, metal device. It had a screen on it. It was counting down from five.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Hear that humming?" Angel asked.

"Yeah, I noticed it after the third time we got shot at," Logan muttered darkly as they crept down the stairs. "What do you want to bet it's the emitters?"

Both Angel and Storm abruptly looked nervous, and Angel rubbed his neck right beneath his ear.

"Don't worry," Storm tried to assure him, as well as herself. "We would be dead by now if the ear pieces weren't working."

"Right," Angel swallowed. "I just--in all this fighting, I don't want to...knock one loose."

"Are we almost there?" Logan growled. "We've climbed down fifty flights of stairs."

"Thirty," Angel corrected. "We weren't on the fiftieth--"

"Shhh!" Storm hissed. But she warned them too late. Gunfire exploded a level below them, riddling the stairwell walls with bullet holes. Angel tightened his wings down hard against his back.

"This is the last floor," Storm shouted over another salvo.

"Right." Logan leaped down the stairs past Storm and landed next to Angel, catching the kid's eye."Ready?"

Angel nodded gravely.

"Storm, wait for us," Logan commanded. Then, as one, he and Angel leaped down the last flight of stairs.

Logan roared, his claws flying out as he barreled toward the six armed men at the end of the short, gray hallway. From what he caught in that instant, they were guarding a heavily locked door.

The masked gunmen, dressed just like those from the mountains in Colorado, panicked. Their hailstorm of shots careened wide. They stepped back. One reached down to his wrist and pressed a button on a device strapped there. The humming all around them became deafening.

"It's not working!" he screamed to the others, leveling his gun at the mutants again. "It worked before! Why isn't it--"

Three gunshots, like slaps, issued from behind Logan, and three gunmen dropped in front of him.

Logan leaped forward and rolled on the floor, dodging a shooter bringing his gun to bear. He hopped up and slashed through his long gun like butter, sending the pieces clattering to the floor. He whirled and savagely sliced him apart, then plunged his claws into the side of another. The man screamed and fell. Another gunshot, and the last man hit the floor.

Logan glanced back. Angel stood, his arm still extended, his gun smoking. Slowly, his wings relaxed, and fluttered once. Logan nodded at him.

"I think that's it," Storm pointed at the door as she trotted down the stairs.

"Okay--let's have a look," Logan stated, turned and swiftly lopped off the locking mechanism. He then stabbed holes straight through the door, retracted his claws and stuck his fingers in the holes. Yanking hard, he pried the door open and flung it aside. They all stepped forward to the threshold.

"Right," Angel sighed. Logan cast his gaze over a vast room, larger than the one at their mansion, and this one was filled floor to ceiling with blinking computers and flashing experimental machines. The humming persisted.

"Okay Angel, how about you start at one end and I'll start over here and we'll just--"

"I have a better idea," Storm stepped past them. "There's enough static in the air from the storm outside that I should be able to take care of all this fairly easily."

Logan's eyebrows went up.

"What? What are you going to do? Are you--"

"I'm going to tell you to get out of this room," she said directly. "Don't touch the walls."

They both stared at her uneasily for a moment, but when they saw her simply turn and approach the towering server, they quickly backed out of the room. Angel's brow furrowed.

"Should we shut the--"

"No."

Logan and Angel backed up even farther, and Storm placed her hands on the server. She closed her eyes.

When she slowly opened them again, they were a ghostly white, and her hair began to stand on end. Logan grabbed Angel's arm.

"C'mon, we need to back--"

The computers suddenly hummed wildly, and then--

_ZAP!_

Sparks sputtered out from all the keyboards. A loud _POP _banged through the room, and with a sound like electronic thunder that traveled from base to peak, the entire building lost power, and they were plunged into darkness. Utter silence fell.

"Shouldn't we try to get the backup discs and the--" Angel began.

"Shh," Logan stopped him. Feet were clattering on the stairs above them, and they caught the faint flicker of flashlights.

"We've done enough damage for now," Logan decided. "Let's get out of here."

VVVVVVVV

Tony only had time to feel his throat close and see one fleeting image of Pepper flash through his mind before the bomb exploded.

It blasted him downward, sending pain wrenching through his shoulder. He plummeted, dimly realizing that Vicar had brought him out here to do just this.

_He wanted me to chase him_, He thought dully. _Duh. He said "Catch me."_

And then he hit the road. He slammed into the pavement. All his bones shuddered. His vision went black. The entire structure heaved and shivered. The breath knocked from his lungs. He lay there on his back, still.

Slowly, he gasped, lifting his head. He turned it, just slightly, to see Vicar had stopped, and was hovering above the honking, stopped traffic. He was covering his mouth, laughing.

Tony groaned, turning onto his side, surveying the crater he had made, whispering a sincere apology to the builder of this centennial bridge.

Vicar drifted closer, his glider buzzing, and gazed down at him.

"Still want to play, Stark?" he asked, tossing another round grenade back and forth. "Because there's plenty more where that came from." He pressed a button on the grenade with his thumb. It lit up. He let it fall from his hand directly toward Tony's head.

Web lashed out from somewhere to Tony's left. It latched onto the grenade and yanked it, flinging it up toward Vicar where it exploded with a concussive _bang_. Vicar back pedaled, his glider whining in panic as he jetted backward, covering his face with is arms.

Tony sat up, his gears groaning. Nimble as a dancer, Spiderman landed on the broken pavement near his feet.

"Pete!" he gasped.

"Hello, Tin Man," Peter said amiably, putting his hands on his hips. "This guy giving you trouble?"

"Well...a little," Tony grunted blackly, heaving himself to his feet. Pete shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. You've just got to know how to work this geeky glider." Pete pointed at him. "I'll sweep, you clean. Okay?"

Tony drew himself up to his full height.

"Jarvis?" he asked.

"We are set to go, sir."

"Okay, Pete."

Peter bent his knees and shot up into the air, firing his web and swinging from the support wires straight toward Vicar. Vicar grinned. He fired his thrusters and started backward, gathering speed. He lifted another grenade.

Web struck the front of the glider and stuck. Peter shot another strand and swung toward the side of the bridge. The next instant, the web attached to the glider was also attached to the bridge. Tony didn't need prompting.

_Heck with the rockets. If you want something done right, do it yourself._

His boots fired. He blasted, full speed, directly at the underside of the glider. Putting his head down, he braced his shoulders for impact.

He hit it. The metal shattered all around him. The heat blazed against his armor. Shrapnel was flung out across the ocean. His vision blackened. He rocketed high up into the air.

He felt soft pinging against the metal around him. It suddenly cooled. His vision cleared. It was raining.

Tony looked back down. Pete perched like a--well, like a spider, on the support wires of the bridge, looking up at him. Charred pieces of the glider tumbled down onto the bridge. Slowly, Tony eased back down so that he hovered closer to Pete.

"Good shot," Peter nodded.

"Thanks. Nice setup."

"Any time." Tony looked down at the mess beneath them. "That was fun. We'll have to do it again sometime."

Pete laughed.

"Let's go find the others before they think we've died."

VVVVVVV

This homecoming was unlike any other Tony had experienced. Yeah, when he was little, his mom had been happy to see him every day after school, and would console him if he'd gotten hurt--but Mom hadn't been around for very long. Then, after that, he'd had a great many friends but no real confidants, very few people who truly cared whether or not he was alive or dead--and none who embraced him when he came home.

But now, as he, Logan, Angel and Storm rushed up the stairs of the mansion after hurriedly changing out of their battered suits and uniforms, they were met in the middle before they even had a chance to utter a greeting.

Rogue abandoned her crutches at the top of the stairs, hopped down four of them and leaped into Logan's arms. He caught her easily, gently, as if she was a porcelain doll. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him on the forehead and cheek, then buried her face in his neck. His expression twisted, and he leaned his face into her hair. Three of Angel's school friends hugged him at once, and he draped his wings over all of them. Beast took hold of Storm and gave her a furry hug. Behind them stood all the students, clapping and cheering and patting everyone on the back. But to Tony, all of that was secondary.

Pepper gently pushed through the children, and stopped when she saw him. They stood for a moment. Pepper swallowed and halfway smiled.

"You're okay?"

He shrugged, giving her a lopsided grin.

"Well, I did make a promise, Miss Potts."

She rushed into his arms, and he swept her up into them, nuzzling down into her hair, pulling her to him so tightly he could feel her heartbeat against his chest piece. Tears sprang to his eyes, and for the first time, he did not feel foolish for them--because, for the first time in his life, he arrived with people he cared for, and was welcomed by someone he loved.

_To be continued_...


	15. Chapter 15

_Here is the very last chapter. I hope you enjoy. Please let me know how you like it, as a chapter and as a whole. And to all of you who have made this story my most successful fanfiction to date, I am eternally grateful._

VVVVVVVVVV

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"So after you blasted through him, you didn't check to see if you'd actually gotten him?" Pepper pressed.

"There wasn't much to see, Pepper," Tony answered. "There were burned up pieces down on the road, and a lot of it fell over the side into the ocean."

Pepper and Tony strolled through the grounds in the late afternoon, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine for once.

"So Vicar could still be out there, wandering around somewhere?" Pepper speculated.

Tony arched an eyebrow.

"Um, no," he stated. "I hit him pretty hard."

Pepper sighed, deciding to relent. He still looked tired, and she didn't want to sound as if she wasn't impressed with what he had done. Because she was. So she changed the subject.

"Where's Peter Parker? I noticed he didn't come back with you."

"He stayed in Manhattan. He wanted to stop by and see his girlfriend," Tony answered. "I guess it's kind of hard on both of them."

"I can imagine."

They walked on for a little while, and then Tony slid his hand down and took hold of hers. She glanced over at him to tease him, but he looked serious. She swallowed.

"Speaking of that," Tony said, gazing straight out in front of him. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something, Miss Potts."

"Um...all right," Pepper managed.

"It's something that I've been thinking about for a long time, and, well...it just makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"Well," He shrugged uncomfortably. "Since the bad guys still haven't gone away, and I'm...you know, staying here and playing superhero, and you _obviously _have to chase after me wherever I go so you can scold me and admire me in turns, and I..." He stopped walking and looked at her. Something in his eyes made her breath catch.

"And I...I want you to...be with me wherever I go," he went on, his voice quieting. "So I just thought...it was a good idea."

Pepper blushed at the way he was looking at her, and tried to smile.

"I'm...afraid you lost me somewhere back there, Tony. You thought that what was a good idea?"

"That I should marry you," he stated, as if that were obvious. Pepper dropped his hand, her face burning as she stared at him. Her mouth worked for a few moments, trying to speak. Finally, she succeeded with one word.

"_What?_"

Tony's eyebrows went up.

"Well, I...I know that you're not...entirely...opposed to the idea."

"Oh?" Pepper canted her head. "And how do you know that?"

His brow furrowed and he searched her face.

"It just...It makes sense."

"We've had this conversation."

"We have?" he asked in a low tone. Pepper nodded.

"Yes. Remember what I said?"

"No."

"No matter how much sense something makes," she recited slowly. "A girl still likes to be asked."

"Oh," Tony straightened, glanced around as if searching for help, and finding none, cleared his throat and came around to stand in front of her. His arms straight down at his sides, he faced her squarely. His brown eyes softened.

"I love you, Virginia Potts," he told her. "Will you marry me?"

Pepper's eyes traced his solemn features, and she began to laugh. But just as he was opening his mouth to say something in protest, she reached up, took his face in her hands, stepped forward and answered him with a soft, sweet kiss.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

The clouds still lingered after that storm the other day. Thus, the night was deep and still, and the lights from the city glowed mutely.

A tall, knife-like figure stood atop the roof of the Osborn mansion, staring out across the city. His cloak rustled softly around him as he nimbly stepped out to straddle one of the gargoyles. As he sat, his feet hung down over the abyss, and he glanced at the street thirty-three stories below, feeling no apprehension. He ran a hand through his black hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

His cell phone rang. Letting out a deep breath, he reached inside his cloak to a small pocket and pulled it out, flipped it open and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Vicar. How has your week been?"

Vicar smiled lopsidedly.

"Not bad. And how are you?"

"Is this a secure line?"

Vicar laughed. The sound rang over the rooftop.

"Oh, don't insult me. Of course it is."

"Then you can give me the details."

"Another time, perhaps," Vicar sighed, leaning back and turning to study the Empire State Building, whose topmost lights had just switched on. "Right now I'm recuperating."

"So it _didn't _go that well, eh?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Vicar amended. "You have your Avengers, just like I promised. They're all paired, packaged and paid for, ready to go out and fight the world's slime and villainy."

"Really? Not one of them was killed?"

Vicar snorted.

"What do you think I am, an amateur? I wouldn't touch them--at least not harder than they needed to be touched."

The man on the other side let out a breath.

"I still regret having to use a man with your caliber of ruthlessness to meet this end."

Vicar rolled his eyes.

"Oh, don't start getting all saintly on me. You know I did what I had to, and even less than that sometimes. You can contact Iceman anytime you want."

"No, he's better off where he is," the other man decided. "It sounds like you've done a good job, Vicar. Thank you."

"No trouble," Vicar grinned. "I actually enjoyed it."

"I'll be ready for all the details as soon as you can give them to me."

"Fine."

"Goodnight."

Vicar sighed again.

"Goodnight, Nick." And he hung up. Leaning back on both hands, he tilted his head back and gazed at the sky. He remained that way until finally the clouds parted, and his patience was rewarded by the sight of a single glimmering star.

_Epilogue_

"What are you doing down here?" Pepper demanded, striding toward where Tony sat behind his work bench. "Haven't you had enough of this dark basement? Or have you turned into a vampire?"

Tony laughed, tightening a bolt.

"No, I was just fiddling with some stuff."

"Well, bring it outside to the back deck!" Pepper suggested. "We miss you upstairs."

Tony suddenly looked up, his brow furrowing.

"Hey, did you hear about what went on in town the night just before we went after

Vicar?"

Pepper looked at him strangely.

"Um...you guys got ready to fight the evil billionaires of the world and I sat with Marie and prayed?"

"No, the other thing," Tony shook his head, clearly fighting a smile. "No, there were two guys that seemed to be mutants--mutants on steroids. And they practically tore Broadway apart. The papers are calling one of them the Hulk."

"I'm afraid I missed that one," Pepper admitted, startled. Tony took a deep breath.

"The Hulk guy looks interesting. Rhodes tells me he's a genetic accident of some kind, but he was the one acting as the hero."

"Hm."

"I think I'm going to go try and find him--talk with him about the team," Tony said slowly. "Apparently, there was heavy official firepower all around that disaster." His mouth quirked. "Maybe I can milk my military sources."

Pepper suddenly couldn't keep herself from grinning.

"What?" he chuckled. "What's funny?"

"Now that you guys have basically fired Nick Fury--or at least back-burnered him, the Avengers need a new leader."

"Oh, really?" Tony said in a low, doubtful voice.

"Yes," Pepper said brightly. "How about it, Tony?"

"Oh, no, no, no," he shook his head.

"I think you'd be good at it."

"I don't."

"That's why you'd be good."

"Nah, it needs to be someone with 'Chief' or 'Boss' or 'Captain' in his name," Tony concluded. "Not me."

Pepper raised her eyebrows.

"But you're still going to find this Hulk?"

"Yeah, I might as well. Rhodes tells me old General Thunderbolt was at the scene, and after a mess like that--well, let's just say I know his favorite bar."

Pepper let out a laugh of her own, twirled and snatched up Logan's keys with a jingle.

"Well, then, Mr. Stark," she said playfully. "Your chariot awaits."

Tony looked at her in surprise, rising and stepping toward her.

"You're coming again?"

"You drive too fast." She hid the keys behind her back. "And if you're going to meet a general, I don't think knocking down the door and stomping in wearing a big iron suit would make a very good first impression."

Tony gazed at her for a long moment, then leaned forward and kissed her gently.

"All right, then," he said quietly. "Black tie it is."

She grinned.

"Let's go."

FIN


End file.
